Thane-Belapur Road Set for Major Overhaul: 3 New Flyovers to Directly Connect NMIA, Transform Traffic Flow

Navi Mumbai: With the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) expected to become fully operational within a year, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has launched an ₹846-crore overhaul of the Thane-Belapur Road, one of the city’s busiest transport corridors. The project includes three new flyovers, reconstruction of arterial roads, and upgraded infrastructure to handle increasing passenger and freight traffic.

Project Details:

The three flyovers will be constructed at key junctions along the corridor:

• Rakhale Junction – ₹171 crore
• Between Crystal House and Pawne – ₹110 crore
• BASF Company to Hyundai Showroom in Mahape – ₹338 crore

Additionally, the main corridor will undergo reconstruction worth ₹227 crore. NMMC City Engineer Shirish Ardawad stated that the project is aimed at addressing future mobility demands driven by industrial and residential growth. Another flyover is already under construction near Turbhe railway station, a known traffic bottleneck.

The project is being implemented under the Central Government’s Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), linking public expenditure with deferred contractor payments. NMMC has also requested ₹400 crore funding support from MIDC, which accounts for half the total estimated cost of ₹800 crore, citing the surge in traffic from industrial and residential developments along the Thane-Belapur belt.

Strategic Connectivity:

Thane-Belapur Road functions as the industrial backbone of Navi Mumbai, connecting Airoli, Rakhale, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane, and Turbhe. Over the last decade, expanding industrial units, IT parks, and residential clusters have significantly increased traffic, resulting in longer commute times, frequent jams, and safety concerns.

The upgrade will also include new drainage lines, replacement of damaged cement blocks, and landscaping where feasible to mitigate structural weaknesses and monsoon flooding. Work will be executed in phases to minimize disruptions and align with NMIA’s operational timeline, ensuring smooth traffic flow to industrial estates.

Airport and Regional Linkage:

Once completed, the upgraded corridor will serve as a north-south axis, connecting Thane, Mira-Bhayander, Airoli, Panvel, and Uran directly to NMIA. Integration with the Katai Tunnel, Thane-Belapur Road, and Sion-Panvel Highway will make this project a crucial part of Navi Mumbai’s emerging mobility network.

This corridor forms part of a larger ₹6,300-crore connectivity plan, including a 25-km Thane-NMIA elevated corridor and the Ulwe Coastal Road, which will link the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (Atal Setu) directly to the airport, streamlining industrial, commercial, and passenger traffic across the region.