MMRDA Floats Tenders for 164-Metre Foot Overbridge at Gundavali Metro Station
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has initiated plans and floated tenders to construct a 164-metre pedestrian foot overbridge connecting Gundavali Metro Station in Andheri East across the Western Express Highway. The project is designed to eliminate the need for commuters to negotiate heavy ground-level traffic across the busy arterial corridor.
The Red Line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 20, 2023, connecting Gundavali to Dahisar East and later extending toward Mira-Bhayandar. However, nearly four years after its launch, pedestrians accessing the station at Gundavali have continued to cross the highway at road level.
An MMRDA official stated that the plan was initiated following direct feedback from daily commuters. The proposed foot overbridge will be built at the northern end of Gundavali Metro Station, running parallel to the metro tracks before crossing the Western Express Highway near the point where the Jog Flyover ends. On the opposite side of the highway, the structure will not run parallel to the flyover.
The authority has officially floated tenders to appoint both a consultant and a contractor for the project. The 164-metre bridge is estimated to take one year to complete, excluding the monsoon season.
In addition to the northern bridge, a second pedestrian overbridge is already under construction on the southern side of Gundavali Metro Station. That structure is designed to guide pedestrians safely underneath the Jog Flyover, keeping them entirely separated from vehicular traffic on the highway.
Progress on the southern bridge has been slow, but construction activity is expected to pick up pace following the end of the monsoon season, according to the official. Once finished, the southern bridge will link directly to an existing elevated pedestrian walkway terminating at the Goldspot and Bisleri Factory Junction.
Officials noted that the two bridges will also facilitate safer and easier interchanges between Metro 7 and Mumbai Metro 1, which runs between Versova, Andheri, and Ghatkopar. Metro 7 currently carries passengers heading toward Mira-Bhayandar, while commuters bound for Borivali and Dahisar West change trains at Dahisar East, with future extensions planned toward Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
