The Cost of a "Bottleneck"

A recently constructed double-decker flyover in the Mira-Bhayandar area of Maharashtra has become the centre of intense public scrutiny and political controversy after viral footage revealed an unusual design feature wherein a four-lane structure abruptly transitions into just two lanes. The flyover, part of the Mumbai Metro Line 9 project executed under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, has raised fundamental questions about infrastructure planning, design approval processes, and whether public safety considerations are being adequately balanced against fiscal constraints in government-funded projects.

The controversy erupted after a video shared by the social media handle "Gems of Mira Bhayandar" on January 26 showed aerial footage of the flyover, revealing what appeared to be a significant bottleneck. Vehicles travelling at speed on a four-lane section suddenly encounter a dramatic narrowing to two lanes, creating what critics have described as a dangerous traffic hazard. The footage, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views across social media platforms, has prompted widespread criticism from opposition political parties, engineering experts, and residents who must navigate the structure daily.

The project forms an integral component of the Metro Line 9 corridor, which extends Mumbai Metro Line 7 from Dahisar East to Mira-Bhayandar and from Andheri to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. This ambitious infrastructure initiative spans 13.581 kilometres and represents a significant investment in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region's public transportation network. The construction contract was awarded to J Kumar Infraprojects Limited, a Mumbai-based infrastructure development company with extensive experience in metro rail, bridges, and flyover construction, for a total value of Rs 1,998 crore. The company received its Letter of Acceptance from MMRDA in September 2019, with the scope encompassing the design and construction of an elevated viaduct, nine elevated stations, two flyovers, underground twin tunnels, and one underground station.

The flyover's design has become particularly contentious given its prominent location at one of Mira-Bhayandar's busiest junctions, where five major roads converge. Local commuters and transport experts have expressed alarm that the sudden lane reduction could lead to severe traffic congestion, particularly during peak hours when thousands of vehicles traverse this critical arterial route. More gravely, safety concerns have been raised about the potential for vehicular accidents at the point where high-speed traffic on the four-lane section must abruptly merge into the narrower two-lane configuration.

Political opposition to the design has been swift and unsparing. The Indian National Congress issued a strongly worded statement on its official social media channels, drawing parallels to other controversial infrastructure projects in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party statement asserted that such "life-threatening miracles"

have become commonplace, questioning whether there is accountability for design decisions that could endanger public safety. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena escalated its criticism further, with city president Sandeep Rane announcing plans for a symbolic "award" to the engineers responsible for the design, while alleging significant corruption in the project and arguing that the structure would exacerbate rather than alleviate traffic congestion.

Former Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray offered particularly pointed commentary on the MMRDA's technical justifications for the design. Thackeray questioned what he termed "stupidity" or potentially "corrupt practice" in creating such an abrupt lane reduction, noting that while traffic engineering principles might necessitate lane reductions in certain circumstances, competent design would provide smooth transitions and proper merging ramps rather than forcing vehicles into a sudden bottleneck. He questioned how such a design received approval from the relevant technical and administrative authorities within MMRDA and the state government.

In response to the mounting criticism, MMRDA issued a detailed technical clarification on January 27, defending the design as intentional rather than flawed. The authority explained that the flyover has been designed with a two-plus-two-lane configuration up to Golden Nest Circle to manage traffic from the five converging major roads. According to MMRDA's statement, the apparent narrowing reflects the project's phased implementation strategy. Two lanes in the current configuration descend toward Bhayandar East to serve immediate traffic requirements, while the remaining two lanes are reserved for a future extension that will cross the Western Railway tracks to connect with Bhayandar West. This future phase, MMRDA indicated, is currently in the planning stage and will be implemented in coordination with the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation after obtaining necessary approvals from competent authorities. The authority further explained that Development Plan constraints and limited available space on the Bhayandar East stretch necessitated the temporary shift to a one-plus-one lane layout in certain sections. To address safety concerns, MMRDA stated that multiple protective measures have been incorporated into the design, including rumble strips to alert drivers of the approaching transition, delineators for lane guidance, retro-reflective tags and signage to ensure visibility during nighttime conditions, directional boards for warning, and anti-crash barriers to provide structural safety. The agency emphasised that the flyover has been designed primarily for traffic dispersal and congestion reduction in the Mira-Bhayandar area, with provisions for future widening already integrated into the structural plan.

The MMRDA's explanation, however, has not fully assuaged public concerns. Critics have questioned why a structure costing nearly Rs 2,000 crore could not have been designed with adequate lane capacity from the outset, rather than requiring expensive future modifications. The reliance on future phases to complete what many consider basic traffic management requirements has raised questions about whether financial considerations took precedence over sound engineering practice and public safety in the project's planning and approval stages.The controversy has also highlighted broader questions about the infrastructure approval process in Maharashtra. MMRDA, as the nodal planning and development authority for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, operates under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority Act of 1974. The agency's administrative structure includes various hierarchies of engineering and planning officials who review detailed project reports, conduct technical sanctions of estimates, and present proposals to competent authorities for administrative approval. Projects of this magnitude typically require multiple levels of review, including assessments by Superintending Engineers, Chief Engineers, and the agency's Executive Committee, which is chaired by the Chief Secretary of the Government of Maharashtra.The question of how this particular design configuration received approval at each stage of the review process has become central to the controversy. Engineering experts not affiliated with the project have noted that standard design practices for highway and flyover construction typically mandate gradual lane transitions with adequate merge lengths to ensure traffic safety. The Indian Roads Congress, which establishes guidelines for road design and construction in India, specifies that lane reductions should be accompanied by appropriate geometric design elements, including taper lengths, warning signage, and traffic management measures to prevent sudden speed differentials that could lead to rear-end collisions or sideswipe accidents.

The financial dimensions of the controversy have added another layer to public dissatisfaction. The Metro Line 9 project, part of Mumbai's ambitious metro rail expansion, is being funded through a combination of state government allocations and loans. Citizens have questioned whether the substantial investment of public funds, derived from tax revenues, is being deployed effectively when the resulting infrastructure appears to create new problems rather than solve existing congestion issues. The apparent need for future modifications and extensions to address design shortcomings that critics argue should have been evident during the planning stage has intensified concerns about value for public money and the efficiency of government spending on infrastructure. Residents and daily commuters have expressed frustration that they were not adequately consulted during the design and planning phases of a project that will significantly impact their daily transportation patterns. Several resident welfare associations in the area have indicated that had public consultation been more robust, the design issues now generating controversy might have been identified and addressed before construction commenced. This raises questions about the adequacy of stakeholder engagement and public participation mechanisms in large infrastructure projects administered by government authorities.

The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, which will ultimately need to coordinate with MMRDA on the proposed future extension to Bhayandar West, has remained largely silent on the controversy. Municipal officials, when contacted, indicated that detailed discussions with MMRDA regarding the westward extension had not yet been finalised, and that approval processes would need to follow standard procedures, including council deliberations and public hearings. The timeline for this future phase remains uncertain, leaving commuters to navigate the current configuration for an indeterminate period.

The incident has drawn comparisons to other controversial infrastructure designs in Indian cities, including a rail overbridge in Bhopal featuring an unusual 90-degree turn that prompted the Madhya Pradesh government to suspend seven engineers, including two chief engineers of the Public Works Department. Such cases have contributed to growing public scepticism about the technical competence and decision-making processes within government infrastructure agencies, particularly when design choices appear to contradict basic principles of traffic engineering and public safety.

From a legal and regulatory perspective, the controversy raises questions about potential liability should accidents occur at the bottleneck section once the flyover becomes fully operational. Government infrastructure projects in India are typically governed by various legal frameworks, including the Indian Contract Act, relevant state public works department codes, and specific legislation on planning authorities. MMRDA, as a statutory body, has certain immunities under the law, but questions of negligence or inadequate design could potentially be subject to judicial review through public interest litigation or other legal mechanisms if concrete harm to citizens can be demonstrated.

Transportation experts have noted that the flyover controversy reflects a broader tension in Indian infrastructure development between the imperative to rapidly expand urban transportation capacity and the necessity of ensuring that new infrastructure meets international standards for safety, efficiency, and user experience. The pressure to complete projects within tight deadlines and budget constraints, they observe, sometimes leads to design compromises that may appear cost-effective in the short term but create long-term problems requiring expensive remediation.

The scheduled inauguration of the flyover in February 2026 now faces uncertainty as authorities confront the public relations crisis and safety concerns. MMRDA has indicated that inputs from traffic police are being sought before the structure is opened to public use, suggesting that additional safety assessments may be conducted in response to the controversy. Whether this will lead to design modifications or merely additional traffic management measures remains unclear.

As this controversy continues to unfold, it serves as a reminder of the critical importance of transparency, technical rigour, and public accountability in infrastructure development. The thousands of commuters who will ultimately use this flyover have legitimate expectations that public funds will be invested in infrastructure that enhances rather than compromises their safety and mobility. Whether the current design, even with the promised future extensions, can adequately meet these expectations remains an open question that will likely be answered only through the structure's real-world performance once it enters service.

The Mira-Bhayandar flyover controversy thus transcends the specifics of one infrastructure project to raise fundamental questions about how Indian cities plan, design, approve, and execute major public works. As urban populations continue to grow and transportation demands intensify, ensuring that infrastructure development processes adequately balance fiscal constraints, technical excellence, public safety, and citizen welfare will be essential to building cities that truly serve their inhabitants' needs. The resolution of this particular controversy may well set important precedents for how such challenges are addressed in India's rapidly evolving urban landscape.

SOURCES @: Indian Express , Business Today , The Hindu