South Mumbai To Thane In Just 25 Minutes: MMRDA Starts Construction Of Elevated Eastern Freeway Extension
The 13.9-km fully elevated 6-lane high-speed corridor will significantly reduce travel time between South Mumbai and Thane.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has started the construction work for the Elevated Eastern Freeway Extension. Once completed, the 13.9-km-long fully elevated six-lane corridor will significantly reduce travel time between South Mumbai and Thane to just 25–30 minutes. This high-speed corridor will also ease congestion on the Eastern Express Highway, a crucial artery that accommodates lakhs of daily commuters.
“MMRDA has commenced construction of the Elevated Eastern Freeway Extension, a 13.9 km, fully elevated 6-lane high-speed corridor that will dramatically reduce travel time between South Mumbai and Thane to 25–30 minutes, while easing daily congestion on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH)—one of Mumbai’s busiest arterial routes serving lakhs of commuters every day,” the MMRDA said in an X post on Monday, sharing latest update about the project.
“The corridor will run from Anand Nagar, Thane, to Chheda Nagar, Ghatkopar, with key links at Mulund, Airoli, JVLR, Vikhroli, Kanjurmarg, Mankhurd and Ghatkopar,” the post added.
In Thane, it will connect seamlessly to the Anand Nagar–Saket Elevated Road near the former Mulund Octroi Naka, creating a continuous high-speed corridor with onward connectivity to the Samruddhi Expressway.
This new infrastructure promises to enhance traffic flow significantly, reduce vehicular emissions and provide a faster, safer and greener commute for lakhs of citizens. It is also expected to stimulate economic activity throughout the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
In line with MMRDA’s sustainability goals, the design was modified in consultation with environmental experts and activists to save 127 Pink Trumpet trees along the Vikhroli–Ghatkopar stretch. A compensatory plantation of 4,175 new trees will further bolster the region’s green cover.
Key features of the project include the construction of 2.5-metre diameter monopiles, robust piers with 40-metre spans, and a 25-metre single-segment superstructure. The corridor will employ a pioneering single-pile, single-pier system, unprecedented in MMR.
Additional infrastructure comprises up and down ramps near Mulund Check Naka, Airoli Junction and Vikhroli Junction, plus a six-lane (3+3) elevated toll plaza near Navghar Flyover. The entire route has been engineered for uninterrupted, safe and high-speed travel.
Preliminary surveys and test pile installations are complete, geotechnical investigations are nearly finished and utility identification is substantially done, according to MMRDA. Work on piling and pier construction is underway.
