Several major roads across Mumbai will be closed or partially restricted and traffic diverted from noon on Friday, September 25, until 6 a.m. on Saturday for Anant Chaturdashi, as large Ganpati immersion processions make their way towards Girgaon Chowpatty, Shivaji Park, Juhu and other immersion points across the city.
The Mumbai Traffic Police have announced extensive arrangements across Colaba and Cuffe Parade, Marine Drive, Girgaon-Kalbadevi, Nagpada, Lalbaug-Parel, Dadar-Shivaji Park and several parts of the eastern and western suburbs to facilitate immersion processions and manage the expected increase in pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Heavy vehicles and private buses will also be restricted from entering and plying in South Mumbai from 11 a.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. on Saturday. Vehicles carrying essential supplies, ambulances, government and semi-government vehicles and school buses have been exempted.
Police have advised motorists travelling between north and south Mumbai to use the Coastal Road as far as possible.
In Colaba and the Cuffe Parade-Badhwar Park area, Nathalal Parekh Marg will be closed in both directions between Bhai Bandarkar Chowk at Badhwar Park and Sayyed Mohammad Jamadar Chowk near Indu Clinic. The stretch between Pandey Lane Naka and Bhai Bandarkar Chowk will remain accessible only to local residents and emergency vehicles.
The northbound carriageway of Captain Prakash Pethe Marg will also be closed between Dhanpal Naka and Pandey Lane Junction, while Rambhau Salgaonkar Marg will be shut between Volga Chowk and Kamal Morarka Chowk. Police have warned of congestion around Cuffe Parade and Badhwar Park and advised people to avoid non-essential travel in the area.
On Marine Drive, northbound traffic on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Marg may be closed depending on the movement of immersion processions. Traffic will be diverted from Islam Gymkhana towards the Coastal Road.
Near CSMT and Metro Junction, traffic on Mahapalika Marg from CSMT Junction towards Metro Junction will be restricted as required, with vehicles diverted through D.N. Road and L.T. Marg. Police have advised motorists to avoid routes leading towards Metro Junction because of expected congestion.
Some of the most extensive restrictions will be imposed in Girgaon, Kalbadevi and Thakurdwar, which lie along major immersion routes leading towards Girgaon Chowpatty.
V.P. Road will be closed between C.P. Tank Circle and Hotel Nityanand Junction, while Babasaheb Jaykar Marg will be closed between Ghodagadi Junction and Khattar Gully Naka. Cawasji Patel Tank Road will be closed between Gulalwadi Circle and C.P. Tank Circle.
Sant Sena Marg will be shut between M.S. Ali Road and Nanubhai Desai Road, Nanubhai Desai Road between Gokuldham Junction and Madhavbaug, and S.V.P. Road between Gol Deul and Prarthana Samaj Junction.
Parts of J.S.S. Road and Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road may also be closed depending on procession movement. Police have warned of severe congestion around Girgaon, Thakurdwar, V.P. Road, J.S.S. Road, S.V.P. Road and Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road.
Around Pydhonie, Bhendi Bazaar and Wadi Bunder, Jinabhai Mulji Rathod Marg between Shivdas Chapsi Junction and Kaklij Chowk and P. D’Mello Road between Kaklij Chowk and Wadi Bunder Junction may be closed as required. Traffic on P. D’Mello Road will be diverted through S.V.P. Road, Bhendi Bazaar, Ibrahim Rahimtulla Road, Sir J.J. Road and Dr B.A. Road, or through B.P.T. Road.
In the Nagpada-Mumbai Central-Sat Rasta belt, N.M. Joshi Marg will be closed between Chinchpokli Junction and Khatau Mill, while Bapurao Jagtap Marg will be shut between Sat Rasta and Khada Parsi.
Maulana Azad Road will be closed in both directions between Nagpada and Do Taki, while Bellasis Road will be closed between Nagpada and Mumbai Central. Maulana Shaukat Ali Road will also be closed between Shuklaji Street and Do Taki.
Mirza Ghalib Marg, or Clare Road, will operate as a one-way, with traffic prohibited from Nagpada Junction towards Khada Parsi.
Restrictions will also affect Lalbaug, Chinchpokli, Byculla and Parel, through which several prominent Ganpati processions pass.
Southbound traffic on Dr B.A. Road will be closed between Bharat Mata Junction in Lalbaug and Bawla Compound Junction. Motorists travelling towards CSMT can use the Lalbaug flyover or alternative routes through N.M. Joshi Marg and Chinchpokli.
Mahadev Palav Marg between Shingte Master Chowk and Bharat Mata Junction may also be closed as required. Dattaram Lad Marg, Ganesh Nagar Lane, Dinshaw Petit Lane and a section of Dr S.S. Rao Road will also be shut.
In the Bhoiwada-Parel-Hindmata area, Govindji Keni Marg will be closed between Bhoiwada Naka and Hindmata Junction, with traffic diverted through G.D. Ambekar Marg and Dr B.A. Road. Acharya Donde Marg near KEM Hospital will operate as a one-way from Parel T.T. towards Khanolkar Chowk.
Restrictions will also be imposed around Worli and Lower Parel depending on the movement of the Lalbaugcha Raja procession. Southbound traffic on Dr Annie Besant Road towards Haji Ali may be stopped at Worli Naka as required. Sections of N.M. Joshi Marg around Bharat Mata and Chinchpokli will also be temporarily closed as the procession advances.
Major restrictions will be imposed around Dadar and Shivaji Park, one of Mumbai’s principal immersion locations.
Southbound traffic on Swatantryaveer Savarkar Marg will be closed between the YES Bank signal and Siddhivinayak Temple Junction. The northbound carriageway between Siddhivinayak and the YES Bank junction will be reserved for immersion processions heading towards Shivaji Park Chowpatty, while regular northbound traffic will be moved onto the southbound carriageway towards Mahim.
Ranade Road will be closed between Paneri Junction and Chaityabhumi Junction. Sant Dnyaneshwar Mandir Road leading towards the immersion point will be reserved for processions and emergency vehicles, while Keluskar Road North, Keluskar Road South and M.B. Raut Road will be completely closed.
Tilak Bridge between Dadar T.T. and Kotwal Garden will also be closed, with motorists advised to use Curry Road Bridge or routes through Dharavi.
Around Mahim and Dharavi, T.H. Kataria Marg will be closed in both directions through the Matunga Labour Camp stretch, while the Mahim-Sion Link Road will be closed between Kemkar Chowk and the Raheja Hospital approach.
In Matunga, southbound Dr B.A. Road will be closed between Maheshwari Udyan and Kohinoor Signal, while Mankikar Marg between Duncan Causeway and Sion Lake will also be shut. One southbound lane of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg will remain closed over a roughly 500-metre stretch.
In Kurla, the northbound carriageway of L.B.S. Road will be closed between Kamani Junction and Kurla Depot. New Mill Road will also be closed between Chikne Chowk and Sahara Junction.
In Chembur, Hemu Kalani Marg will be closed between Umarshi Bappa Junction and Basant Park Junction, with traffic diverted through V.N. Purav Marg. Dr C. Gidwani Marg between the Golf Club and Zhama Chowk and R.C. Marg between Zhama Chowk and Chembur Naka will also be closed.
Heavy vehicles will be prohibited on the Sion-Panvel Highway and Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road on Friday. Deendayal Upadhyay Marg and Tank Road in the Mulund-Bhandup area will also be closed, with traffic diverted through L.B.S. Marg and adjoining roads.
In Juhu and Santacruz, Devle Road leading towards Gandhigram Chowpatty will be closed to regular vehicles, with only immersion and emergency vehicles permitted. Juhu Tara Road may also be closed between Santacruz Police Station Junction and Tulip Star Junction as required, with traffic diverted towards Juhu Road and S.V. Road.
In Andheri West and Versova, Caesar Road westbound, J.P. Road westbound, O.P. Road southbound, and the northbound carriageway of Juhu-Versova Link Road will face restrictions. Caesar Road and Juhu-Versova Link Road will be completely closed on Friday.
Further north, Marve Road between S.V. Road and Mith Chowki will be closed in both directions, with traffic diverted through Ramchandra Lane and Link Road. Sections of S.V. Road in Kandivali, M.G. Road in Goregaon, Damu Anna Date Marg, Bandarpakhadi Road and the road leading towards Marve Chowpatty will also be closed.
In Borivali, L.T. Road from Don Bosco Junction towards Borivali Jetty will be closed, with traffic diverted onto the opposite carriageway for two-way movement. Incoming traffic will also be restricted on an approximately 500-metre stretch of Babu Bagwe Road.
No-parking restrictions will additionally be enforced on several roads along immersion routes across the city.
The main traffic regulations will remain in force from noon on September 25 until 6 a.m. on September 26. However, several restrictions are to be imposed “as required”, meaning individual roads may be closed or reopened depending on crowd levels and the movement of immersion processions.
Traffic Police have asked motorists to avoid major immersion routes wherever possible, use the Coastal Road for north-south travel and follow directions issued by traffic personnel at major junctions.
