9.2 km Elevated Urban Corridor (Chembur to P. D’Mello Road)
Client Context
The Eastern Freeway was first conceived in 1969 by the Government of Maharashtra as a long-term mobility solution to decongest Mumbai’s eastern corridor. For decades, the project remained on paper due to administrative, land, and technical complexities.
In November 2007, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) finally awarded the project to Simplex Infrastructures Limited, recognizing the urgent need to create a high-capacity, signal-free connection from Eastern Suburbs to South Mumbai. The project comprised a 9.2 km elevated corridor, designed using precast segmental construction and multiple launching gantries—one of the most complex urban infrastructure projects ever executed in Mumbai.
Challenges
Multi-Agency Coordination
- Required continuous liaison with MMRDA, BMC, Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), and Customs Department for land, access, permissions, and approvals.
- Encountered overlapping jurisdiction, leading to multiple consent cycles.
Uncharted and Sensitive Utility Zones
- Major stretches contained unknown and unrecorded underground utilities—water mains, power lines, oil pipelines, telecom ducts.
- Required real-time redesigns, diversions, and safety precautions.
Difficult Community Conditions
- Construction zones passed through drug-addicted and high-risk informal habitats, requiring special security coordination.
- Frequent encroachments and obstructions disrupted access.
Geotechnical & Design Challenges
- Large stretch over marshy salt-pan lands with extremely poor soil strata.
- Required ground improvement using PVD drains, soil consolidation, and deep foundations.
- Segmental launching required complex logistics across densely populated areas.
Urban Traffic, Safety & Space Limitations Working within the heart of Mumbai demanded precise traffic planning, limited working windows, and high safety standards.
Our Approach
Strategic Technical Leadership
- Took charge from scratch—mobilization, design coordination, resource planning, and execution framework.
- Reworked foundation and substructure designs with consultants to suit marshy land conditions.
Engineering Solutions for Ground Conditions
- Designed ground improvement schemes using PVD drains, preloading, stone columns, and deep piling.
- Ensured compliance with IRC codes and IS 2911 for foundation systems.
Segmental Construction Excellence
- Deployed five launching gantries simultaneously to accelerate progress.
- Organized an optimized precast segment production and logistics cycle. Setting up long line casting yard.
Robust Liaisoning & Stakeholder Management
- Established coordination cells with MMRDA, BMC, MbPT, and Customs.
- Negotiated access permissions with local administrative authorities , traffic blocks, working hours, and utility relocation schedules.
- Maintained transparent reporting and weekly review mechanisms.
Community & Safety Management
- Set up security teams to deal with sensitive localities and protect workmen.
- Conducted safety briefings, barricading, and special night-time working protocols.
Results
- The Eastern Freeway was successfully opened to the public in June 2013, offering one of Mumbai’s fastest north–south connections.
- Reduced Chembur-to-South Mumbai travel time dramatically from 70–90 minutes to 20 minutes.
- Delivered with high quality and structural performance, setting new benchmarks in Mumbai’s urban infrastructure construction.
- Achieved recognition from authorities for handling design complexity, difficult terrain, multi-agency interface, and major social challenges.
- Earned reputation as a flagship project executed, demonstrating mastery in engineering management, stakeholder coordination, and urban mega-project execution.
