Since the closure of the Andheri-based Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge, complaints about long queues of traffic have been on the rise among motorists. As per the traffic authorities, the primary reasons for traffic congestion in its six designated alternative routes are illegal parking, double parking, bad roads, and backlog traffic pile-ups.
On Wednesday, major traffic congestion was reported at Western Express Highway (WEH), SV Road, Milan Subway, and areas including Andheri, Jogeshwari, Vile Parle, Santacruz, etc.
As per the DN Nagar Traffic Division, they have started “clearing out” the illegal parking and double-parking situation. “Our duty officers are assigned to identify and clear out illegal parking as they slow down the traffic, creating a bottleneck. This way the pace of traffic increases swiftly, while subsequently, they (traffic cops) manage the traffic in order to let it move freely,” said an official.
The six alternative routes declared by the Mumbai Traffic Police are Balasaheb Thackeray Flyover in Jogeshwari, Andheri Subway, Khar Subway, Milan Subway flyover bridge in Santacruz, Captain Gore Flyover in Vile Parle, Murnaltai Gore flyover in Goregaon.
Commuters feel it’s “unfair”...
Commuters feel it’s “unfair” to close down the bridge without any intimation. “Even though Gokhale was in bad shape, it was a prominent connector for me to reach work and come back home. I had no idea it was going to be shut, and it came out as a surprise to me. Now I have to take the subway which is so crowded all the time, it’s difficult to reach on time every day,” said a commuter based in Andheri.
Another commuter, Balaji Shankar, a resident of Andheri said, “SV Road is a nightmare. Gokhale (bridge) was our escape from that nightmare, but since it’s shut now, SV Road is the only option left. Day or night, it is always congested. With bad roads, illegal parking, and hawkers, the traffic is way too bad. It is unfair to us what the authorities are doing.”
The Milan Subway experienced heavy backlog traffic on Wednesday, as per Mumbai Traffic Control. The waiting period in traffic was almost an hour. “I travelled from Vakola Bridge to Milan Subway. It was horrible, so many vehicles piling up, while there was barely any cop to be seen to control the situation. The sides of the roads are full of hawkers and illegal parking, it just makes the situation even worse. Something has to be done,” said a commuter, a resident of Santacruz.
