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South Mumbai’s Lalbaug and Mazgaon areas may soon get traffic respite. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated bids for construction of a Rs 805-crore cable-stayed flyover to link the Y-Bridge in Byculla with the JJ Flyover, the Indian Express reported. The idea is to improve connectivity between Byculla (East-West direction) and the JJ Flyover (which serves major north-south traffic in central/south Mumbai) and relieve traffic pressure on key arterial roads. The Y-Bridge to JJ flyover route The main carriageway will connect the Y-Bridge near the Mumbai Fire Brigade headquarters directly to the JJ Flyover ramp. It will be 85 metres long. About the new cable-stayed bridge The new Y-Bridge is being rebuilt as a cable-stayed bridge, with the first phase expected to be completed by March 2026, IE reported. The design is cable-stayed, which means the deck is supported by cables tied to one or more towers/pylons. It offers certain advantages (e.g., fewer piers over busy railway tracks). For the Byculla Y-Bridge replacement: two ‘arms’ of the Y, length about 916 m including approaches and height 9.7m. The project is being done in phases so that traffic disruption is minimised. How the Y-Bridge to JJ flyover will help Once the flyover is built, motorists will be able to bypass two traffic bottlenecks: Saboo Siddik Polytechnic College Richardson and Cruddas along JJ Road in Nagpada The traffic impact The Eastern Express Highway will be decongested as the bridge will connect eastern suburbs to south Mumbai. Two additional arms will connect Olivant Bridge in Mazgaon, giving it access to the Eastern Freeway as well as the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. Why the change The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) found the existing Y-Bridge, which was built in 1922, to be structurally unsound. The old Y-Bridge had six lanes, while the new design is targeting eight lanes, said reports. The old British-era structure is wearing out, while the new design uses stainless steel. The cable-stayed method will ensure longer lifespan. With Agency Inputs
