Mumbai: Suburban roads across Mumbai were severely congested throughout Thursday, causing significant inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians. Key areas affected included Kurla, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), and Goregaon, where traffic was backed up for hours.
Traffic officials identified several major causes of the gridlock, notably an exhibition at NESCO in Goregaon, which led to heavy congestion along the Western Express Highway, extending up to the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR).
"Traffic has been severe since Wednesday due to the exhibition, but it worsened on Thursday. Several vehicles were parked outside NESCO, causing a significant traffic jam that affected JVLR as well," said a police official.
Compounding the issue, JVLR has been heavily jammed due to traffic diversions related to BKC’s Global Fintech Fest. The traffic police announced diversions, in effect from August 28 to 30, redirecting vehicles from BKC to JVLR, Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, and the Eastern Freeway. The already congested BKC has seen some of the worst traffic conditions, with motorists expressing their frustration.
"Traffic at BKC is a nightmare. For three days, vehicles have been crawling. What kind of traffic arrangements are being made? A 20-minute drive now takes an hour and 20 minutes," said Samir Shah, an ‘X’ user. Another user reported severe traffic from BKC's Diamond Gate to MTNL, exacerbated by malfunctioning signals and the absence of traffic police. "Vehicles were stranded for over 30-35 minutes with no functioning signals and no police in sight. Eventually, bus conductors, auto drivers, and bikers stepped out to manage the traffic," said Hitesh Karnani, a motorist.
Traffic in BKC has significantly worsened since the closure of the Sion Road Over Bridge (ROB), leading to increased congestion on JVLR. "Much of JVLR has bad roads, so traffic has been moving painfully slowly. With the additional vehicles, movement grinds to a halt at regular intervals until our officers personally manage the situation. Most likely, things will return to normal after the BKC event," a traffic official stated.
Additionally, severe bottlenecks in the Kamani area of Kurla, caused by the chaotic behavior of auto drivers, further disrupted movement on LBS Marg. Since LBS Marg connects to JVLR in Bhandup, heavy traffic on both roads has created a dire situation for the eastern suburbs.
