Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway is from Ghatkopar in the North to P D’Mello Road and Museum/Fort in South Mumbai.
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| Eastern Freeway Mumbai | Eastern Freeway Map | Entry/Exit on Eastern Freeway | Detailed Eastern Freeway Route |
Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway Road
Eastern Freeway is divided into 3 main sections (please see Eastern Freeway Map):
- Ghatkopar To Panjarpol (Chembur) Link Road: Elevated 4 lane Bridge from Indian Oil Nagar on Ghatkopar Mankhurd Link Road to Panjarpol (Shivaji Chowk Circle in Chembur) crossing Ashok Nagar, Gautam Nagar, Deonar Abattoir. Distance = 2.5 km
- Anik To Panjarpol (Shivaji Chowk, Chembur) Link Road (APLR): 8 lane concrete road along the ground from Panjar Pol at Chembur’s Shivaji Chowk to Anik (near Wadala, Antop Hill), via BARC hill (2 tunnels) to. Distance = 5.0 km.
- P D’Mello Road To Anik (near Wadala): Elevated 4 lane Bridge from Anik (near Wadala, Antop Hill) to P D Mello Road outside Princess Dock (“Orange Gate” near Wadi Bunder and S V Patel Road). This is the SECOND LONGEST BRIDGE IN INDIA. Distance = 9.3 km.
Motorist exiting the Eastern Freeway at P D’Mello Road can reach VT/Fort/Museum by continuing straight on PD Mello Road, which runs parallel to the JJ Flyover until GPO and VT Station. From there motorist can continue straight along the Shahid Bhagat Singh Road until Museum/Regal.
The three part, 16.8 Km Eastern Freeway has NO TRAFFIC SIGNALS and is TOLL FREE. The Eastern Freeway bypasses 28 traffic signals and this will drastically reduce the time taken to travel from South Mumbai to Wadala, Antop Hill, Chembur, Mankhurd, Ghatkopar, Navi Mumbai and Thane. The Mumbai Monorail and Eastern Freeway will reduce the traffic load on the North-South arterial Dr Ambedkar Road (Sion to Dadar to Lalbaug) and Sir J J Flyover.
It is estimated that Eastern Freeway will reduce travel time from Museum (Colaba) to Ghatkopar to 25 to 30 minutes from 90 minutes. 1.5 to 2.0 lac vehicles are expected to use the Freeway daily.
This is the first major land road in Mumbai in many decades created by the Govt of Maharashtra and it is one of the many infrastructure projects that will transform Mumbai in 2013 – 2014.
Map of Eastern Freeway Mumbai
Please click here to view Eastern Freeway, Mumbai Map in a larger map
Entry and Exit on Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway
Motorist can enter and exit the Eastern Freeway at the following locations:
- Princess Dock’s Orange Gate: Start/End of Eastern Freeway at P D Mello Road near Orange Gate of Princess Dock. The Freeway 4 lane bridge Starts/Ends near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road and Wadi Bunder. This is the Freeway exit for those travelling to South Mumbai (Carnac Bunder, Fort, VT), Wadi Bunder, Dockyard Road, Mazgaon, Dongri, JJ, Byculla.
- Anik (Wadala/Antop Hill): This is the entry / exit for Wadala, Antop Hill, Chembur, Sewri, Dadar, King Circle, Sion.
- Panjarpol at Shivaji Chowk, Chembur: This is the entry / exit for Chembur, R K Studio, Sion, Chunabhatti, BARC, TISS, Govandi, Mankhurd, Vashi Bridge, Navi Mumbai.
- Ghatkopar Near Eastern Express Highway: Start/End of Eastern Freeway at Indian Oil Nagar on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (also called Jeejabai Bhosale Marg). This is the entry / exit for motorist travelling to Eastern Express Highway, Powai, Mulund, Bhandup, Thane), Ghatkopar, Kurla, Chembur, Chedda Nagar, Govandi, Mankhurd, Vashi Bridge, Navi Mumbai.
Motorcycles and scooters are not be allowed on the Eastern Freeway. Cars and public transport can use the Eastern Freeway. As has always been the case, Motorist will not be allowed to use Mumbai Port Trust’s (MbPT) Road which is reserved for Mumbai dock based cargo vehicles.
The Eastern Freeway will play an important role in dispersing traffic to the North and South of Mumbai once the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) Bridge (Sewri with Nhava) is constructed.
Detailed Route of Eastern Freeway Road in Mumbai
1] Ghatkopar To Panjarpol Link Road On Eastern Freeway
- The Entry / Exit point of Eastern Freeway is near Indian Oil Nagar (Jijibhai Bhosale Marg) on the Ghatkopar – Mankhurd Link Road. This Start/End of the Eastern Freeway is only 1 Km away from the Eastern Express Highway at Ghatkopar.
- From Ghatkopar a new 4 lane Eastern Freeway bridge passes Gautam Nagar and Ashok Nagar. The bridge Ends/Starts at Pranjol at the Shivaji Chowk in Chembur.
- There is no entry/exit till Panjarpol.
- Total Distance = 2.5 km
2] Anik Panjarpol Link Road (APLR) On Eastern Freeway
- A new 8 lane Eastern Freeway concrete road is built from Shivaji Chowk (Panjar Pol) circle in Chembur to Anik near Wadala. Route of APLR Starts / Ends at Panjarpol at Shivaji Chowk circle in Chembur, passes Tata Power Colony, passes 2 tunnels near BARC, passes between RCF and Bharat Petroleum and Ends / Starts at Anik (near Antop Hill, Wadala).
- This new road is along the ground. There are two 505 meter tunnels which pass through the hills near BARC. Both these tunnels have 4 lane concrete roads passing through.
- Total Distance = 5.0 km
3] Anik To P D’Mello Road On Eastern Freeway
- Starting / Ending at Anik near Wadala and Antop Hill, this section of the Eastern Freeway starts with a 0.7km bridge over Salt pans until MbPT’s Pipe Line Gate. From Pipeline Gate a new 4 lane Elevated Bridge passes along Antop Hill, Wadala, Sewri, Raey Road, Dockyard Road, Mazgaon Dock, Mazgaon, Wadi Bunder. The Exit/Entry point of the Eastern Freeway bridge is Orange Gate (Princess Dock) on P D Mello Road.
- There is no entry/exit along this Eastern Freeway stretch from PD Mello to Anik (Wadala).
- Large part of the 4 lane bridge is built over Mahul Road, which is the primary feeder road to Mumbai’s ports.
- On clear days between November to February, one might be able to see the Flamingos near the Sewri marshes.
- Total Distance = 9.3 km
4] Eastern Freeway from P D’Mello Road to VT, Fort and Museum
- From P D Mello to travel to VT/CST, Fort and Museum (Regal), continue along the straight P D’Mello Road. This is the road that runs parallel to the JJ Flyover and is behind CT/CST station. This road crosses Carnac Bunder and Frere Road and ends near the GPO and CST/VT Station (Back side).
- Continue straight along the Shahid Bhagat Singh Road up to Museum, crossing Mint, RBI, Asiatic Society (Town Hall) on the way.
Cost of the Eastern Freeway and Reasons For Delays
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is the government agency responsible for the funding and construction of the Eastern Freeway.
When first envisaged, the cost of Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway was Rs 341 crore. In 2008, the cost was revised to Rs 531 crore. It is now estimated that the cost of the East Freeway is Rs 1,140 crore.
In addition to cost escalations, the project has been delayed by 3 years. The reasons for the delay in constructing the Eastern Freeway are:
- Rehabilitation of displaced people on P D’Mello Road, APLR and between Panjrpol – Ghatkopar took longer than expected.
- In July, 2012, 13 concrete segments of the Eastern Freeway collapsed, killing 2 workers. Work was stopped while MMRDA investigated the cause of the collapse. MMRDA eventually fined the contractor, Simplex Infrastructure.
- The underground utilities maps were incorrect, leading to delays.
- Environment clearances, especially for the bridge over Wadala Salt pans and the stretch near Ghatkopar took time.
Future Plans For Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway
In the next phase, MMRDA will explore whether the Eastern Freeway can be extended from Museum/Regal to Nariman Point using a tunnel.
MMRDA will also explore whether the Eastern Freeway can be connected to the Borivali-Nariman Point Coastal Road. This will create a Ring Road around Mumbai.
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