Mumbai: Reay Road Cable-Stayed Bridge To Be Inaugurated Today; Pedestrians Left Stranded With No Direct Link To Railway Station

Mumbai: The long-awaited Reay Road cable-stayed bridge is set to be inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at 7 pm on Tuesday. While the new bridge is a major milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure upgrade, concerns are mounting over its lack of pedestrian access and connectivity to the Reay Road railway station.

Unlike its century-old predecessor, the new bridge is not linked to the Reay Road station. Pedestrians can only access the bridge via Sant Savta Mali Marg in Byculla East. Moreover, although the bridge is built to handle six lanes of vehicular traffic, it has no footpaths, raising safety concerns for those on foot.

Details On Mumbai's 1st Land-Based Cable-Stayed Bridge

Constructed by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC or Maharail) in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the bridge is the first cable-stayed road overbridge in Mumbai. The cost of the project is around Rs 266 crore.

It replaces the 115-year-old structure that was demolished in February 2022. Although construction was completed in December 2024, the formal inauguration was delayed by nearly six months. It is set to be inaugurated today in the evening. In the same ceremony, the CM will also remotely inaugurate another road overbridge at Titwala, about 65 km away.

Adding to the connectivity woes, the bridge reportedly hangs nearly seven feet above the Reay Road station’s heritage building, making it inaccessible from the station itself. This misalignment is reminiscent of the Gokhale–Barfiwala connector issue, where height discrepancies between two flyovers caused massive delays and realignment efforts.

Central Railway Official Speaks On Issue

A senior Central Railway official said, “The planning was entirely done by BMC. We provided the required railway blocks on time and even pushed for early completion to free up resources for other bridge works.” He also criticised the BMC’s execution, citing a January 26 incident when poor planning led to a six-hour traffic snarl, likening it to the recent disruptions caused by the MMRDA.

Although the Reay Road bridge will open for traffic from Wednesday, railway officials have proposed constructing a foot overbridge (FOB) integrated with a new ticket counter to reconnect it with the railway station, said a source.

So far, the BMC has not responded to queries about the planning shortcomings or the lack of pedestrian access. As the bridge opens to vehicles, commuters on foot will have to wait longer for safer access.

(with inputs from Kamal Mishra)

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