Mumbai: Phase II opening of Gokhale bridge clears key Andheri East-West jam, say Motorists

Travel for motorists heading towards Andheri West and Juhu, has eased as they no longer need to halt at the SV Road junction signal

After the westbound arm of the much-awaited Gokhale Bridge - which connects Andheri East to West over the western railway tracks - was opened, mid-day visited the area and observed a noticeable improvement in commuting time. During a visit on Tuesday, mid-day monitored traffic on the Gokhale Bridge and the Barfiwala Flyover during both morning and evening peak hours and found that the new bridge has eased travel for motorists heading towards Andheri West and Juhu, as they no longer need to halt at the SV Road junction signal under the Barfiwala Flyover.

Before the bridge opened, it was anticipated that traffic congestion might occur near the signal where the westbound arm of the Barfiwala Flyover descends.

mid-day noticed reduced traffic on the Gokhale bridge during evening peak hours. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Samrat Poddar, a resident of Andheri West who travels daily to Sakinaka, said, "The opening of the remaining arm of the Gokhale Bridge that connects to the westbound arm of the Barfiwala Flyover has changed the dynamics of travel towards the west, with massive savings in travel time and cost. The only hitch is the single-lane road after the first traffic light in Juhu lane, which causes traffic to move very slowly."

Ronak Mehta, 43, a businessman who uses the same route regularly, said, "The westbound arm of the Barfiwala Flyover, along with Phase II of the Gokhale Bridge
opening, has been a blessing, saving a good amount of commuting time. However, the wait time at the traffic light to exit Barfiwala Flyover needs to be reduced, and the barricades in Juhu Lane for the new flyover should be shifted inside by three feet."

During our visit to the newly opened arm of the Gokhale Bridge, we observed that in some sections, the road surface is uneven and not entirely smooth.

Motorist Priyam Gangrade, 35, said, "Travel has become less stressful with seamless connectivity from the highway to the west side - almost a game changer. The only thing is that the new flyover work should be expedited, and the barricades removed as and when phase-wise work is completed."