Santacruz-Chembur Link Road extension ready, awaits inauguration

The extension will allow motorists travelling from Vakola Junction near Mumbai University to take a direct elevated route to Bharat Nagar in BKC (File Image)Nearly a decade after work began on the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension, the final phase of the east-west connector is complete and awaiting inauguration. The 1.4-km extension, comprising two flyover arms that will directly connect the Western Express Highway (WEH) with Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), is ready to be opened to traffic, completing the 10.88-km SCLR corridor. Officials said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) wrote to the Chief Minister’s Office in mid-July seeking a date for the inauguration. While no date has been finalised, officials indicated the project could be inaugurated next week or around Independence Day, possibly alongside the reopening of Mumbai Monorail services and the inauguration of Chembur station on Metro Line 2B.The extension will allow motorists travelling from Vakola Junction near Mumbai University to take a direct elevated route to Bharat Nagar in BKC, avoiding congestion at Vakola and the detour via Kalanagar. Of the 1.4-km extension, around 500 metres comprises a four-lane elevated carriageway, while the remaining 900 metres consists of two-lane entry and exit flyover ramps. The first phase of the SCLR opened in August 2025 and was expected to ease east-west traffic movement. However, congestion has persisted on the corridor, with commuters often spending considerable time navigating bottlenecks. Officials believe the extension arms will serve as the missing link by providing seamless access to BKC from both the Western and Eastern Express Highways while reducing traffic on internal roads in Santacruz, Vakola and Bandra East. According to the MMRDA, the extension is expected to reduce travel time by up to 35 minutes. The Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension reached a key construction milestone in May 2026, after the MMRDA completed the installation of the final twin girders over the Vakola Nallah bridge. By early June, civil works were over 98 per cent complete, with only finishing works remaining.