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Nitin Gadkari has a new plan for Mumbai traffic

By Sohail Khan 14 September 2026, 10:44 pm

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Business News›News›Economy›Infrastructure›Nitin Gadkari has a new plan for Mumbai traffic: After getting stuck for an hour, minister proposes a tech-driven solution to the city’s congestion problem

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Nitin Gadkari has a new plan for Mumbai traffic: After getting stuck for an hour, minister proposes a tech-driven solution to the city’s congestion problem
Synopsis

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently faced frustrating traffic delays in Mumbai, prompting him to reflect on the 55 flyovers and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link he constructed years ago. With today's traffic vastly increased, he highlighted the urgent need for modern solutions, proposing the development of multi-level structures to maximize roadway efficiency within the constrained urban landscape.

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Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari

Mumbai’s traffic is hardly a hidden problem. The city may be known for its architectural landmarks, coastline and fast-paced lifestyle, but long commutes and congested roads remain part of everyday life for millions of residents.

As per a report, the problem was highlighted recently when Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari himself was caught in heavy traffic while travelling from Worli to an event in Mumbai. His journey was delayed by around an hour, prompting him to speak about the limitations of some of the city’s older flyovers and the need for modern infrastructure.

Nitin Gadkari gets stuck in Mumbai traffic

On September 12, Gadkari was travelling from Worli to attend the 22nd Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards in Mumbai. However, heavy traffic added around an hour to his journey.

Gadkari recalls 55 flyovers, Bandra-Worli Sea Link

Gadkari said he had the opportunity to oversee the construction of 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway during his tenure.

“But that is actually me paying for my mistake. From 1995–2000, I got a chance to construct 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, but at that time this technology was not available,” he said.

His comments highlighted how Mumbai’s road infrastructure has evolved alongside the city’s rapid growth over the past three decades.

Why Mumbai’s old flyovers are facing pressure

The city’s traffic challenge is not only about the number of vehicles on the roads. It is also linked to how infrastructure designed decades ago is coping with today's much larger traffic volumes.

Mumbai has expanded significantly since the 1990s, with daily traffic movements connecting South Mumbai, the western suburbs, Thane, Navi Mumbai and other surrounding areas.

As traffic volumes have increased, infrastructure that once helped ease congestion can itself become a bottleneck, particularly around major junctions and arterial roads.

Gadkari proposes modern multi-level flyovers

Gadkari said he had advised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to consider replacing existing flyovers with structures based on modern construction technologies.

He also said India had recently acquired technology from Malaysia that could enable several levels of flyovers to be constructed over a single set of pillars.

The proposed approach could allow more road capacity to be created within limited urban space, rather than relying only on conventional flyovers.

Rs 50,000 crore infrastructure plan for Pune

Gadkari also said he had proposed an infrastructure programme worth Rs 50,000 crore in Pune.

The broader focus, according to his remarks, is on using newer technologies and infrastructure models to address growing urban mobility challenges.

For densely populated cities such as Mumbai, where road space is limited and traffic demand continues to rise, the challenge is not simply building more roads but making better use of existing urban space.

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