Now Reading: Maharashtra approves Rs 1,722 crore Bandra Fort connector
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Maharashtra approves Rs 1,722 crore Bandra Fort connector
The Maharashtra government has granted administrative approval for a 3.55km Bandra Fort Connector at an estimated cost of Rs 1,722.40 crore. The four-lane road, to be built adjacent to Bandra Fort opposite…
The Maharashtra government has granted administrative approval for a 3.55km Bandra Fort Connector at an estimated cost of Rs 1,722.40 crore. The four-lane road, to be built adjacent to Bandra Fort opposite Hotel Taj Lands End, aims to ease congestion for motorists travelling from the under-construction Swatantryaveer Savarkar Sea Link towards Pali Hill and Bandra West.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will execute the project as part of the ongoing sea link project. Currently, the 2.6km stretch from the sea link toll plaza to Pali Hill takes motorists 20 to 30 minutes due to one-plus-one lane roads and heavy traffic. The connector will include ramps and loops.
The demand was raised by Cabinet Minister Adv Ashish Shelar. MSRDC submitted a proposal on August 19, 2024, and the government formally approved the project on July 28, 2025.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Rs 1,722 crore connector attempts to solve a problem the Versova-Bandra Sea Link itself will worsen. When the six-lane sea link opens in 2025, it will dump thousands of additional vehicles onto Bandra West's narrow, unplanned roads. The Bandra Fort area, a mix of luxury hotels, residential towers and heritage conservation zones, leaves almost no room for surface road widening. MSRDC's solution is an elevated four-lane bypass, but its 3.55km alignment directly abuts the 400-year-old Bandra Fort, a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. Any construction within 100 metres of a protected monument requires ASI clearance, which has not been mentioned in the state approval. The projected 20-30 minute delay over just 2.6km puts the toll plaza-to-Pali Hill stretch among Mumbai's most congested per-kilometre bottlenecks.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
