With thousands of devotees rushing to Mahalaxmi Temple, the entire area from Haji Ali, Warden Road, Pedder Road, and Gamdevi Road and beyond witnessed cars inching forward at a snail’s pace.
It was pure horror on the streets of Mumbai on Tuesday. The demolition of the arterial Elphinstone Bridge without adequate groundwork, the delay in the widening of Tilak Bridge, the non-progress of work on the Sion-Dharavi bridge, ongoing water pipeline repairs in front of Mantralaya, coupled with Navratri shopping, combined to create traffic snarls all over the island city.
With thousands of devotees rushing to Mahalaxmi Temple, the entire area from Haji Ali, Warden Road, Pedder Road, and Gamdevi Road and beyond witnessed cars inching forward at a snail’s pace.
This comes on top of the massive jam on the Western Express Highway (WEH), which has become a permanent feature of the western suburbs. Ramanand Mishra, a taxi driver, said, I have been plying cabs in the city for the past 20 years, but never have I witnessed such massive traffic jams. I am now scared to take out my taxi.” Another driver, Vishwas Mane, said, “We spend hours together in these wretched jams inhaling exhaust gases. I get frequent headaches.
The situation has deteriorated so much that even emergency services like ambulances and fire brigades are getting stuck in traffic for hours. With Ganeshotsav just concluded and Navratri festivities underway, large crowds out shopping have further aggravated the congestion.
The closure of Elphinstone Bridge has worsened the traffic crisis in Dadar. Authorities demolished the bridge without waiting for the completion of Tilak Bridge’s widening project. As a result, long queues of vehicles now stretch from Dadar station area to Matunga and Mahim. With major festivals like Dussehra and Diwali approaching, the situation has sparked panic among traders and commuters.
The Tilak Bridge widening project has been pending for over 18 months. Residents and traders in Dadar are furious that authorities rushed into shutting down Elphinstone Bridge, creating chaos in one of Mumbai’s busiest areas.
Local residents from Dadar, Prabhadevi, Shivaji Park, Sheetladevi Temple, and Mahim have written to the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the Municipal Commissioner demanding better traffic management. They have sought deployment of additional traffic police, strict action against illegal hawkers on roads and footpaths, and removal of unauthorized parking on main roads.
The Bombay High Court and Supreme Court had earlier ordered removal of hawkers from railway station premises, but authorities failed to implement those directives. This has made the traffic problem in Dadar increasingly complex. The lack of effective disaster management and emergency measures has put essential services like ambulances and fire brigades at risk. Citizens have urged police and municipal authorities to take immediate corrective measures.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-streets-turn-chaotic-as-elphinstone-bridge-demolition-and-roadworks-trigger-massive-traffic-jams