Mumbai's Elphinstone Bridge to shut from midnight, major traffic diversions announced

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The Elphinstone Bridge in Mumbai, an important link between Parel and Prabhadevi on the east and west sides, is set to close from 11.59 pm on Friday. The closure has been planned to make way for the construction of the new Elphinstone flyover as well as the 4.5 km-long Worli–Sewri connector, a key infrastructure project expected to ease traffic movement across the city, The Times of India reported.

After several delays, the demolition of the old bridge is finally ready to begin, and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has approved in situ rehabilitation for 83 residents who will be displaced by the project. These residents, belonging to two buildings, Laxmi Niwas and Haji Noorani Chawl, will be resettled in Mhada flats in the same neighbourhood, so they don’t have to move far from their homes and livelihoods.

To manage traffic during the closure, diversions have been announced. Vehicles from Dadar East to Dadar West and Dadar Market will be diverted via Tilak Bridge. Motorists from Parel East towards Prabhadevi and Lower Parel can use Curry Road Bridge between 7 am and 3 pm, while those heading from Parel and Byculla East towards Worli, Coastal Road, and the Sea Link will be routed through Chinchpokli Bridge.

For those traveling from Prabhadevi and Lower Parel towards Parel, KEM Hospital, and Tata Hospital, traffic will be routed through Curry Road Bridge from 3 pm to 11 pm.

Meanwhile, vehicles coming from Coastal Road, Sea Link, and Worli towards Parel and Byculla East will again be diverted via Chinchpokli Bridge. Additional restrictions will apply on Mahadev Palav Road (Currey Road Railway Bridge). Traffic will move east to west between 7 am and 3 pm, west to east from 3 pm to 11 pm, and both directions will remain open from 11 pm to 7 am. However, other key arterial roads such as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marg, Senapati Bapat Road, Sane Guruji Marg, N M Joshi Road, Bhavani Shankar Road, and S K Bole Road will continue to remain two-way to minimise disruption.

To assist commuters and especially patients, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has stationed two ambulances, one at Parel station (East) and another at Prabhadevi station (West), with wheelchairs on standby.

The rehabilitation process for the affected families was earlier a major point of dispute. The MMRDA had initially suggested relocating them temporarily to places like Kurla, but residents strongly resisted the plan. They insisted on staying close to their current location and demanded fair compensation or permanent housing nearby. Their protest had delayed the demolition for months.

Out of the 83 project-affected persons (PAPs), 60 belong to Laxmi Niwas and 23 to Haji Noorani Chawl. With the DCM’s approval for in situ rehabilitation, the standoff has finally ended, clearing the way for the project to proceed.

According to the rehabilitation policy, homeowners with units smaller than 300 square feet will be allotted 405-sq-ft tenements, calculated as 300 sq ft plus 35% additional space. Those with units ranging between 300 sq ft and 1,292 sq ft will get their existing carpet area plus 35% extra. Officials said this formula ensures both equity and fairness in the allotment of new housing stock.

Notably, when the connector was first planned, 19 buildings were expected to be affected. But the MMRDA revised the alignment, sparing 17 and saving nearly Rs 5,200 crore in resettlement costs. Officials said the realignment, along with the PAP settlement, will accelerate construction and help complete the project on schedule. Once ready, the connector will link the Coastal Road with the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, cutting travel time between south Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.