Pedestrians finally get access to footpaths on Sindoor and Vikhroli bridges

Footpath on the Sindoor bridge (Carnac bridge)

Pedestrians will now finally be able to use the new road overbridges of Carnac (Sindoor) at Masjid Bunder and Vikhroli east-west that opened last year. With the work on the pending staircase link and connectivity nearing completion, the footpaths on these two new road bridges can finally be put to use. mid-day had been following up on the issue of pedestrian connectivity on these two new bridges.

For months, pedestrians had been forced to walk along the busy vehicular lanes, risking their lives, as access to the footpaths was blocked due to the absence of connecting staircases. Despite repeated complaints and follow-ups, the pedestrian facilities remained unusable even after the bridge's inauguration, drawing public criticism.

Sindoor bridge staircase

As of Thursday, the landing staircase connecting pedestrian pathways on both the bridges was in the final stages of completion. mid-day visited both the sites to find that work was progressing well and should be complete in the next few days.

Vikhroli east-west

Vikhroli bridge staircase. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The footpath is about 4 feet on either side of the lanes but is only restricted to the railway portion of the bridge. The pedestrian pathway will serve as an alternative to the railway bridge and can be used by those not wanting to buy a railway ticket. There is no escalator or elevator here, but just a staircase split into decks. Work is at a finishing stage at both the east and west sides of the bridge.

Sindoor (Carnac bridge)

The Sindoor bridge (Carnac bridge) has a footpath across the length of the bridge with proper ramps and is a segregated sidewalk away from vehicle movement. The footpath has now got landing staircases on all sides, though the garbage and debris around it are yet to be cleared. The staircase and the footpaths here are wider than the one at Vikhroli.

Voices

Vedant Mhatre, programme director of the Walking Project
‘The walkways on the newer BMC-built Vikhroli Bridge and Sindoor Bridge seem much better than those on the older ones - Gokhale and Delisle bridges. It is good to see adequately wide footpaths taking shape. We had pointed out the problems with the older bridges and persistently advocated with BMC administrators to provide future-proof widths for pedestrians on all upcoming bridges in a pedestrian-heavy city like Mumbai, and it is encouraging to see the results of these efforts.'

Jitendra Gupta, Citizen Transport Committee
‘Pedestrian pathways play a very important role not just for pedestrians but also in case of vehicle breakdowns, emergencies and other scenarios. Removing them from newly constructed bridges was always a bad idea. All the 11 old British-era bridges had them. Good that mid-day has followed up on the issue.'

When were they built?

Vikhroli bridge
June 2025

Sindoor bridge (Carnac)
July 2025