Two new Sion flyover arms to ease traffic towards South Mumbai

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to construct two additional arms for the Sion flyover on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) at an estimated cost of Rs 125.37 crore to address a longstanding traffic bottleneck affecting vehicles travelling towards South Mumbai.

The proposed extensions will connect Sion Circle directly with the Eastern Express Highway, providing an additional route for motorists travelling from Chembur and Ghatkopar towards Dadar and South Mumbai.

The existing 1.09-km flyover connects the Eastern Express Highway with Sion Circle through BA Road. Although the structure has three lanes, only one currently carries southbound traffic from Ghatkopar and Chembur towards Dadar, reported The Indian Express.

The new arms will have a combined length of 1.12 km and a width of 8.5 metres, including crash barriers. They will run parallel to the existing flyover without changing its alignment.

The proposed arrangement is expected to improve the distribution of traffic and reduce congestion on the southbound section.

“Since there is only one lane catering to southbound traffic movement, the distribution of network towards traffic management has been uneven. Therefore, once the two new arms become operational, commute time will come down significantly,” additional municipal commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar told The Indian Express.

He said the new arms would originate from Sion Circle and merge directly with the Eastern Express Highway, improving connectivity for motorists travelling towards Colaba from Chembur and Ghatkopar.

The BMC has set December 2028 as the project completion deadline.

The existing flyover was constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in 2003 at a cost of Rs 31 crore. Increasing vehicle numbers over the years have made the structure an important congestion point for southbound traffic.

The proposed extensions are separate from the Sion railway overbridge, which connects the eastern and western sides across the railway tracks. The BMC rebuilt that century-old structure and opened the new bridge last month.

The latest plan is intended to improve traffic movement along one of Mumbai’s important east-side road corridors and provide better connectivity towards central and South Mumbai.