Smooth Roads In Mumbai Soon? BMC To Take Over 24 MSRDC Flyovers As Civic Body Pushes For 'One-Point Authority' To Fix Pothole, Repair Delays

Mumbai: In a major move aimed at streamlining infrastructure maintenance and improving accountability, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is preparing to take over 24 flyovers and several key road structures from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

The proposed handover includes 24 flyovers covering nearly 20.25 kilometres, along with four foot overbridges, one road overbridge, one vehicular underpass, four pedestrian underpasses and four major junctions across the city, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The transfer was approved by the Maharashtra government in November last year and the roadmap for implementation was discussed during a high-level review meeting held on April 23. During the meeting, BMC’s chief engineer for bridges briefed senior civic officials on the transfer process and future maintenance plans.

BMC To Look After Repairs & Maintenance

Once the handover is completed, the BMC will take responsibility for repairs, pothole filling, resurfacing and overall maintenance of the structures. However, revenue-generating rights such as toll collection and advertisements will continue to remain with MSRDC for the time being.

According to civic officials, MSRDC already has an existing maintenance contractor appointed till 2029 for routine works, including pothole repairs, painting and lane marking on the bridges.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar said the state government wants the BMC to become a single-point authority for flyover maintenance in Mumbai to avoid delays and confusion faced by commuters.

“During the last monsoon, potholes on flyovers led to negative publicity. Since those bridges belonged to MSRDC, the BMC could not directly intervene despite public complaints. The idea now is to ensure one agency is accountable for all flyovers,” Bangar said, as quoted by HT.

He compared the move to the earlier transfer of portions of the Western Express Highway and Eastern Express Highway from MMRDA to the BMC in 2022.

Officials said several important documents are still pending from MSRDC, including structural audit reports, design drawings, contract papers and bank guarantees. MSRDC officials informed the BMC that recent structural audits had been conducted by Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), and the reports would soon be submitted.

Under conditions laid down by Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, advertisement rights on the flyovers will eventually shift to the BMC once current agreements between MSRDC and advertising agencies expire. MSRDC will not be allowed to renew those contracts.

The move could improve response time for repairs, especially during the monsoon season when potholes and damaged flyovers often trigger traffic chaos and public criticism.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/