Following a minor bus accident at the Bandra-Kurla Complex Connector Bridge, the entire stretch toward both the eastern and western suburbs ended up in a long jam on Tuesday morning.
According to the traffic police, there was a minor collision where the bus rammed into the divider after losing control. However, no casualties were reported. It took more than 20 minutes for the authorities to clear the spot. All of this happened during the extreme peak hours of traffic on a weekday. Considering the high traffic generated back and forth on the BKC route, especially with private buses, private vehicles, BEST buses, taxis, and autos – everything came to a standstill while the authorities were trying to clean up the mess created by the bus accident.
The BKC Connector, being a crucial link on eastern and western suburban routes, ended up jamming all sides due to the collision. The Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) was reportedly jammed, which is not entirely due to the BKC Connector, but it did make the traffic situation worse than earlier. The backlog extended up to Tilak Nagar on the east end and towards the CST road on the west end. From Tilak Nagar, it continued to carry the backlog, according to traffic authorities who claimed to have it under control. However, motorists say otherwise.
“The time it takes from Chheda Nagar flyover to BKC is now 1.5 hours, compared to the previous 35-40 minutes. It happened today (Tuesday). My boss keeps telling me to show up on time to work, but how do I explain this to him? How many times do I give traffic as an excuse?” asks Rohit Kadam, a motorist from Chembur, adding that the situation is getting worse day by day. Towards the BKC Connector from Chunabhatti’s side, vehicles were at a standstill for over 1.5 hours on Tuesday.
Is the BKC Connector responsible for the traffic jam?
Traffic police officers on the ground blamed EEH. “There is repair work on EEH, and in some areas, one lane is closed for the work. This causes traffic to move slowly, but it works like a domino effect. Once it slows down, it maintains that speed up until all ends, but with this slow movement and a high number of vehicles, especially during peak hours in the morning, it keeps creating a backlog all over. EEH’s effect reaches BKC Connector, SCLR, Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, and even the LBS Marg up until Sion. Once the work ends on EEH, roads are widened as usual or even more than usual, and traffic can move comfortably,” said a traffic police official.
The other effect of BKC Connector via EEH could be seen at Amar Mahal Junction, Suman Nagar, Priyadarshini Signal, and even Chedda Nagar flyover. On the western suburbs, starting from Santacruz, it affected the CST Road, Kurla’s Kapadia Nagar, Western Express Highway, Family Court junction in Bandra, etc.
