By Manjiri Joshi,News18
Copyright news18
Mumbai traffic update: Mumbai has got a new traffic hotspot, which is now taking one hour instead of the usual 15 minutes to travel.
Where is it? Why is the traffic building up? Why are motorists complaining?
Mumbai’s new traffic hotspot
As the Elphinstone Bridge is closed for demolition, major traffic snarls are being reported in Dadar, Parel, and Chinchpokli areas.
#WATCH Mumbai: Demolition of Elphinstone Bridge at Prabhadevi railway station begins.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will demolish the Elphinstone Bridge and construct a new Elphinstone flyover and Sewri-Worli elevated connector flyover in its… pic.twitter.com/8H6142kEW7
— ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2025
Elphinstone Road bridge demolition work will go on for 60 days
The demolition work of the bridge began on the night of September 12 and will go on for 60 days. This demolition has brought major changes to the traffic in Mumbai.
ALSO READ | Mumbai’s Elphinstone Bridge Shut: Motorists Can Cross Dadar, Parel, Worli Using These Routes
How has it impacted travel time?
Although the Mumbai Police has announced alternative routes, they are not sufficient. As a result, the journey on this route, which used to take 15-20 minutes, is now increasing to an hour, sometimes two-three hours.
What is the issue?
Elphinstone Bridge was an important bridge connecting central and western Mumbai. The ROB passes over two railway stations — Prabhadevi (Western Railway) and Parel (Central Railway). It is used by 500,000-700,000 commuters daily. The bridge is in the middle several buildings and offices.
With its closure, the entire burden is falling on other bridges. Citizens are using Tilak Bridge, Currey Road Bridge, Chinchpokli Bridge, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and Gokhale Road, but since these roads are already crowded, the problem has increased.
ALSO READ | Why Elphinstone ROB Shutdown Means Double Trouble For Mumbai’s Currey Road Bridge Travellers
One-way traffic is maintained on Currey Road Bridge. Traffic is allowed on one side in the morning and on the opposite side in the afternoon. This causes confusion for passengers.
In view of the demolition of the Elphinstone Bridge by @MMRDAOfficial to make way for the new Elphinstone Flyover and the Seweri Worli Elevated Connector Flyover, the following traffic management will be in place from 23.59 hrs on 12th September 2025.#MTPtrafficUpdates pic.twitter.com/QIvzLBp4dZ
— Mumbai Traffic Police (@MTPHereToHelp) September 12, 2025
Who all are impacted?
The traffic chaos has not just affected officegoers. There are major hospitals such as TATA Hospital, and KEM Hospital in this area and the traffic snarls also impact them. Due to the traffic snarls, even cars and ambulances going to the hospital are delayed. Patients are now making a 15-minute journey in almost an hour.
Bus routes too diverted
Due to the closure of Elphinstone Bridge, a total of 11 BEST and MSRTC bus routes have either been curtailed or diverted, according to reports. Bus numbers 188, A-197 and 101 are now running on other roads instead of Prabhadevi Bridge. Due to this, passengers traveling by bus are also taking more time. A-162, A-168, A-177, and 201, which are bypassing the bridge route or terminating earlier than before, are seeing complaints of lengthier detours online. Buses that previously crossed Currey Road Bridge, including routes 14, 57, 44, 52, 50, 162, and 168, are now rerouted through Chinchpokli Bridge.
Citizens’ complaints
Citizens have complained through social media that they were stuck on Bhavani Shankar Road for two hours. “The traffic jam is huge, but there are no policemen on the road,” they said.
ALSO READ | Mumbai Traffic Chaos Begins: Sion-Dadar Now Takes 1 Hour, 11 Buses Rerouted As Elphinstone ROB Shut
According to commuters on social media, a ride from Sion to Dadar that used to take 15 minutes has stretched to over an hour. The journey from Navi Mumbai to Parel, which used to previously about 45 minutes, takes close to two hours.
#Mumbai #MumbaiTraffic
One word to Describe DADAR TILAK BRIDGE since yesterday is
Absolute chaos…. Shutting the #ElphinstoneBridge without any viable alternative is absolute Senseless.
It was already overburdened after the Sion bridge closure.@MTPHereToHelp… pic.twitter.com/hr1RGz476Y
— मुंबई Matters™?? (@mumbaimatterz) September 14, 2025
What will come in place of Elphinstone bridge?
The demolition will make way for the upcoming Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector, which will connect the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the under-construction Coastal Road with the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) or Atal Setu.
Inputs from News18 Lokmat
