Mumbai’s road concreting progress remains slow despite new contracts and higher costs
Road work last year in Mumbai
The roadworks initiated by the BMC two years ago are still incomplete, with only 25 per cent of the roads finished compared to last year. With 262 km of roadwork spilling over and an average completion rate of 200 km per year, the BMC is in the final stages of awarding contracts for the remaining 465 km of roads. At the current pace, it will take another four years to complete the road concreting work.
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Mumbai’s road network spans 2,050 km, and approximately 1,224 km have been concreted so far. The BMC is in the process of awarding contracts for 465 km of roads but has only completed 80 km out of 332 km of roads that were started 15 months ago. Additionally, the corporation still needs to finish 242 km of roads that began in January 2022.
The BMC had undertaken the concreting of 242 km of the city’s roads back in January 2022. After two and a half years, 20 km of roadwork remains unfinished. Furthermore, the civic body sanctioned a proposal for another 397 km in February 2023, costing approximately R7,500 crore, including taxes. However, the contract for 65 km of roads in south Mumbai was cancelled. According to official figures, only 80 km of the 332 km of roads have been completed so far.
The BMC is now finalising the tender process for the remaining 400 km, with an estimated cost of approximately R8,500 crore. The corporation is also prepared to allocate the pending work for south Mumbai roads at a 4 per cent higher cost. However, with around 262 km of roadwork still pending and traffic restrictions, achieving the goal of concreting all roads remains a distant dream.
“In Mumbai, roadworks cannot be done during the four months of monsoon. Therefore, the BMC needs to complete all the work in the eight dry months. We have increased our speed to complete the work and will not wait for October to seek traffic police permission. The process has already started at the ward level, so by the time the dry spell begins, we will initiate the work,” said a senior BMC official.
The BMC had assured the high court in September 2022 that it would complete the concreting of all roads within two and a half years. With almost two years completed, the BMC has not yet achieved 50 per cent of the target.
Roadwork completion
2020-21: 123 km of roads (66 km in concrete, 57 km in asphalt)
2021-22: 196 km of roads (163 km in concrete, 33 km in asphalt)
2022-23: 166 km of roads concreted
2023-24: 252 km of roads concreted
Work orders issued
Jan 2022: 242 km (220 km completed)
Feb 2023: 332 km (80 km completed)
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