Mumbai, May 4: In yet another blow to the delayed Vidyavihar East–West Connector, as many as 213 trees are set to be felled for the construction of its approach road. In a compensatory move, the BMC has
proposed planting 2,278 trees across Mumbai.
The civic body has placed a proposal before its Standing Committee to appoint the Maharashtra Forest Development Corporation (MFDC) to execute the plantation work.
However, despite a revised June 2026 deadline, the pace of work on the crucial flyover has raised doubts about its completion before the monsoon sets in.
Project details and tree impact
The connector links Ramkrishna Chemburkar Marg in the east with Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg in the west. The 650-metre-long, two-lane flyover includes a 100-metre stretch over railway tracks and will also connect to the footpaths of Vidyavihar Railway Station. Construction of the approach roads for the flyover is currently underway.
Meanwhile, a project survey identified 189 affected trees, of which 65 will be felled, 73 transplanted, and 51 retained. As part of the mitigation plan, 1,990 new trees are to be planted across Mumbai under a Rs 2 crore compensatory plantation drive, to be executed by the MFDC. However, citing space constraints within the city, the civic body has opted to carry out the plantation on 2.05 hectares of land at Karanjade in Panvel.
As per the agenda submitted to the Standing Committee, "Changes in the road design will impact an additional 24 trees, of which 12 will be felled and 12 transplanted. In return, a condition has been imposed to plant 288 more trees, taking the total number of new plantations to 2,278. The overall cost for transplantation, fresh plantation, and seven years of maintenance is estimated at around Rs 1.57 crore. Including the earlier estimate of Rs 41.51 lakh for transplanting 73 trees, the total project cost is expected to rise to nearly Rs 1.99 crore." However, delays in the connector have angered commuters and local residents, many of whom have been waiting for decades.
Delays and project timeline
The project was first planned in 1991 but only gained momentum in 2016, with construction starting in 2018. Originally slated for completion by mid-2022, the timeline was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and design changes. AB Infrabuild Limited has been appointed as the contractor.
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The project, estimated at around Rs 76.18 crore, was awarded a work order in February 2024. Once finished, the bridge will cut travel time between Vidyavihar East and West from over 30 minutes to just 10–15 minutes. Notably, the Vidyavihar connector features the longest girder over a railway track in the city, measuring 100 metres.
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