Mumbai, May 29 -- After enduring years of traffic snarls at Goregaon, motorists commuting between the Western Express Highway in Goregaon East and the Ram Mandir junction (SV Road) in Goregaon West will finally enjoy a seamless ride, with the BMC set to open the Mrinaltai Gore flyover extension on May 31. Built at a cost of Rs.200.75 crore, the 750-metre-long east-west connector is expected to provide signal-free connectivity for motorists travelling from Borivali, Versova and other western suburbs towards JVLR, bypassing three major traffic signals on the arterial SV Road and cutting travel time from 30 minutes to five minutes. A civic official from the civic bridges department said that barring electric supply to the extension, which is to be provided by Adani Electricity, the extension is complete. "May 31 is our deadline to open the bridge," he said. While the flyover itself was opened to traffic in 2016, work on the extension began in 2019 but was delayed due to design revisions, utility shifting, and work relating to the Oshiwara Nallah. The 15.5-metre-wide, four-lane project involved not only building the flyover extension but also the construction of a bridge to replace the old one over the Walbhat Nalla, along with integrating the Mrinaltai Gore Rail Over Bridge and connecting arms spanning 450 metres. Several factors contributed to the eight-year delay - the work order was issued in 2018. Since portions of the foundation alignment passed through two busy junctions on SV Road, traffic permissions had to be sought as work was to be carried out under heavy traffic conditions. Temporary structures and obstructions were to be cleared at curved portions of the alignment, where foundation work demanded extensive coordination and site management. Protests from local residents to the extension's proposed landing near the kabrastan area presented another roadblock. The opposition forced design revisions, resulting in changes to the alignment and bridge length. Two major water crossings - Walbhat Nalla at Ram Mandir Road and the Oshiwara Nalla along SV Road - presented engineering challenges. At Walbhat Nalla, the existing bridge was to be demolished and a new one built. Due to heavy vehicular movement, construction had to be executed in three phases while maintaining traffic flow. At Oshiwara Nalla, reconstruction of the existing bridge was handled through a separate contract awarded to another agency in May 2021. The flyover extension's pier cap works depended on the progress of that parallel project, which also had to be carried out in phases owing to traffic constraints. With the May 31 inauguration, commuters navigating one of western Mumbai's most congested traffic corridors will heave a sigh of relief....