SCLR Extension Project Speeds Ahead: Key Bridge Construction Begins

Work on the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension project, which has faced a few slowdowns over its eight-year journey, is set to progress. This week, the Mumbai traffic police issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), allowing them to proceed with the crucial task of constructing a curved cable-stayed bridge above the existing Vakola flyover. MMRDA officials estimate that it will take another six months to complete this phase.

The SCLR was initially opened in April 2014, featuring Mumbai's first double-decker flyover, which connected Kapadia Nagar on CST Road to Amar Mahal Junction on the Eastern Express Highway. However, after the project was completed, MMRDA planners discovered it caused traffic congestion at multiple points, prompting the need for an extension to ease the flow of traffic.

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Construction of the SCLR extension began in 2016 to address congestion at key areas such as Kapadia Nagar on CST Road in Kurla, Hans Burga Marg, and the junction where Hans Burga Marg meets the Western Express Highway at Santacruz. The original plan was to complete the project by 2024, but delays in securing traffic blocks from the police led to a revision of the timeline. While the project was initially expected to be finished in June 2024, the new expected completion date has been set for March 2025, though it may extend to June 2025.

The cable-stayed bridge, which will be the most challenging part of the extension, will be built 22 metres above the busy road and nine metres over the Vakola flyover. With a curve of up to 70 degrees, the bridge will range from 10.5 metres to 17.5 metres in width, and the deck will weigh 1,780 tonnes. Mitesh Ghatte, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), West Region, confirmed the NOC had been granted and construction had begun.

Once completed, the bridge will facilitate smoother traffic flow from Chembur and Kurla to Vile Parle, with an estimated completion time of five to six months.

When the project began in 2016, it was initially slated for completion in 2019. Since then, the extension has been opened in four phases: in February 2023, a 3-km stretch between Kurla and Vakola, a 1.2-km portion from MTNL Junction in BKC to LBS Road, a 1.8-km elevated road from Grand Hyatt Hotel to LBS Road, and the fourth component, a ramp near Windsor House next to BKC's MMRDA grounds, which was completed a year ago.

The delays in the project have been caused by a range of challenges, including the 2020 pandemic lockdown and changes to the bridge's design, which was modified to a cable-stayed structure.

Originally estimated to cost Rs 450 crore in 2016, the project's budget has risen to Rs 650 crore, with the possibility of further increases due to ongoing delays.