BMC gets green light for new bridge in Andheri; Lokhandwala-Yari Road Travel Time to Reduce to 5 mins

The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has given a preliminary approval to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a new bridge connecting Lokhandwala and Yari Road.

This bridge will reduce the travel time from 45 minutes to just five minutes between the two areas.

The bridge will offer Versova residents a quicker route when the Versova-Bandra Sea link opens. It will also ease traffic from Lokhandwala.

The Civic body had opened a tender for the development of the bridge in November 2023. However, approval from the environment ministry was required because the bridge would cross a 0.21-hectare mangrove forest. Now, that the BMC has approval, it can begin the work immediately, as long as the wildlife is not disturbed and replanting happens.

The bridge will cost INR 42 crore. It will span 393.2 metres across Kavathe Creek. The bridge will include a 110-metre single-span steel arch section over the creek. The approach roads will be 166 metres from the Yari side and 117 metres from the Lokhandwala side.

The bridge was first proposed in 2002. In 2014, the BMC called for bids for the project, estimated at INR 17 crore at the time. However, local groups sued to stop the project, fearing damage to the mangrove forest. This led to a legal battle. Last year, the Supreme Court (SC) also dismissed the petition and approved the project.