Mumbai: Deadly combo of old works and new entry cause traffic gridlock in Worli

Ongoing civic, Metro works have narrowed approach roads, even as people are confused about where the Coastal Roads entry actually is, creating bottlenecks

What are the exact reasons behind the traffic jams at various junctions of Worli after the opening of the Coastal Road, officially named Dharmveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Marg? A team of mid-day reporters on Friday tried to explore what exactly has gone wrong. 

The primary reason for the multiple snarls is various ongoing work, owing to which many arterial roads have been narrowed while bypasses have been created for construction vehicles. 

Vehicles on their way from Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road, Siddharth Nagar, to Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk

While travelling from Churchgate, the Coastal Road goes underground near Charni Road station and comes out near Amarsons Garden close to Bhulabhai Desai Road. At present, the stretch in the direction of Churchgate has opened while the one in the opposite direction will be opened in May 2024.

Pre-monsoon works like road concreting, widening of drains and Metro construction are causing congestion in Worli Naka.  Metro 3 barricades of have blocked the Worli Naka junction at a strategic point. Though land-filling is complete, the area is used to park heavy construction vehicles by the Metro contractor. Traffic diversions have also led to confusion. We decided to take a look from Amarsons Garden to Worli to pinpoint congested spots.

5pm
Time Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk entry point currently shuts 

Tata Gardens

Barricades near Tata Gardens at Breach Candy

Starting from Kemp’s Corner, along Bhulabhai Desai Road, the first barricades start appearing as the road narrows down while a few bypasses open up for construction vehicles for two new entry points under work. This has led to the narrowing of roads but traffic at this point was moving and not affected much.

Haji Ali Junction

Traffic pours in from all directions at Haji Ali Junction

After passing Heera Panna Shopping Cente and approaching Haji Ali Junction, the first major traffic choke point appears with a huge onflow of vehicles pouring in from all directions, including Mahalaxmi station, Tardeo and Kemp’s Corner. The primary reason here is the large inflow and outflow of vehicles and the sudden narrowing down of the road till Lotus Junction for construction work.

Lotus Junction to Atria Mall

Road concreting work between Lotus Junction and Atria Mall

From Lotus Junction, work has begun on road concreting, leading to a few lanes being barricaded and the arterial road being used for three lanes only. But the traffic movement is better on this stretch as many vehicles on the way to Worli take the flyover. The problem begins for vehicles that do not take the flyover and take a left towards Worli seaface.

Worli seaface

Traffic at Worli seaface on Friday evening. Pic/Sameer Markande

The road movement towards Worli is fast-paced up to the dairy but it is after this that the first signs of a massive traffic jam appear. The line of vehicles is long and the real reason behind this is the new intersection formed at the end junction of Worli Seaface Road at Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk, famous for the statue of the Common Man. This junction has now become the Worli entry point of the Coastal Road and it stops the flow of traffic from Worli seaface as well as the Podar Hospital side. The access to Coastal Road from this point is along the seaside with a 60-degree turn and hence the entry to it intersects existing roads and signals. Work on phase two of the Coastal Road is also on at this point so is work on connecting the Bandra Worli Sea Link to the structure, leading to multiple construction activities.

Stretch near Lala Lajpat Rai College

The narrow arterial road packed with traffic near the college

This is the real choke point with a huge amount of construction work related to the second phase of Coastal Road going on at this entire stretch. New multiple elevated ring roads hover along this road and make landings and breaches into the ongoing traffic road from either side, leaving this functional arterial road of just three lanes jammed with slow-moving traffic.  The narrowed-down road also takes a sharp curve at a further point, slowing down movement. While on one side, along the sea, the road has been barricaded for new road openings, on the other about four lanes of the same road are being concreted to match the elevated landings of the Coastal Road.

Friday chaos

On Friday, there was more traffic chaos and delays due to the frequent VVIP movement around 5 pm at Bindumadhav Thackeray junction. Traffic movement on two other incoming roads was halted. Also, last-minute confusion on the road led to many vehicles backing out from the Coastal Road entry point, affecting traffic. Motorists were not sure which road to take due to lack of right signage. Coastal Road entry was not shut at 5 pm on Friday as cops said they were waiting for further directives.

CommuterSpeak

“I feel they have missed a design feature in the planning stage. They should have had an entry and exit to the tunnels at the Kilachand Garden (at the signal 
where one turns from Chowpatty to Babulnath temple). Cars coming down Walkeshwar Road, from Gamdevi, Gowalia Tank, Girgaon, and Opera House can enter and exit the Coastal Road only after driving near Hindu Gymkhana,” Jagdeep Desai, architect academician, founder trustee and chairperson, Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai, said.

“Now there are massive traffic snarls as vehicles get off the sea link and then turn left towards that shooting range. Then they move towards Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk and then take a 60-degree U-turn to reach the Coastal Road. Also, vehicles coming from Worli Naka on that narrow road to Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk also jam traffic. Once the Coastal Road is connected to the sea link, it will be useful,” a commuter, Siddhartha Fondekar, said. Commuter Shreyas Shinde said, “At least in the initial days, the Mumbai traffic police should refrain from issuing challans and fining motorists as they are still adapting to the changes. Also, signage has not been put up prominently. Treat VIPs on a par with others and do not stop all motorists for them.”

With inputs from Prasun Choudhari

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