25 years, three times the cost: Versova-Yari Road bridge gets a December 2027 deadline

The Versova-Yari road bridge, a long-awaited addition to Mumbai's infrastructure, is set to be completed in December 2027, marking a 25-year journey since its inception. Spanning 206 meters, the bridge will link Lokhandwala with Andheri back road, traversing the Kavthe creek in Andheri West. Currently, no direct route exists between these locations, resulting in a 30-minute commute, which is expected to be halved post-bridge completion.

On Monday, a team of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, led by Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (Projects), conducted a site inspection. The private agency responsible for the project was then instructed to finalize construction by next December. The Y-shaped bridge will feature a 110-meter-long single-span steel "basket handle arch" structure.

Currently, the erection of pillars and columns is underway. The bridge will provide a direct east-west connection between Yari Road, Panch Marg, and Versova in Andheri West. According to an official, the bridge's design includes tension rods connecting the steel arch to the bridge deck slab.

The project's cost has ballooned from the initial estimate of Rs 16 crore to the current Rs 48 crore. In 2019, a local housing society filed a petition with the Supreme Court, arguing that the project would harm mangroves and calling for its scrapping due to a flawed alignment. Despite this, the Supreme Court overturned the stay in August 2022, reigniting the project. Acquiring permissions from forest and mangrove departments took over three years, delaying the project's onset by a year.