Mankhurd Flyover — formally the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road Flyover (C M L R Flyover) — is one of Mumbai’s most structurally ambitious and most economically critical road infrastructure achievements, a 2.9 km long, 6-lane, 24-metre-wide elevated highway on the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road that serves as the vital arterial connecting Mumbai’s Eastern Expressway to the Thane Creek Bridge — the sole vehicular road link between southern Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The engineering firm Force SE’s project description confirms the strategic importance unambiguously: “This elevated flyover forms a vital connection with the old city of Mumbai to the newly developing Navi Mumbai. It directly connects the Eastern Expressway and Freeway to the critical Thane Creek Bridge which is by far the only connection of southern Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.”
The TPF engineering assessment adds the key operational parameters: “The new flyover is expected to bring relief to traffic on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road, which is used by motorists heading towards Navi Mumbai, Lonavala and further to Pune. The six-lane elevated structure is 2.9 km long and 24 m wide. Since it has been constructed with ‘segment’ technology and on a single pier, the space under the bridge is also used for traffic and pedestrian movement.” This dual-use of the space under the bridge — for both additional vehicle lanes and pedestrian movement — reflects the extreme land scarcity of Mumbai’s eastern suburb corridor where every square metre of usable space has economic value.
The Force SE engineering note specifically identifies the technical challenge overcome: “For obligatory spans with nearly 26m wide deck, the narrow width of pier cap for PSC box girder posed a challenge of long cantilever in cast in situ deck slab. The same was achieved by providing steel fins emerging from the external girders.” The obligatory spans of 50m and 60m requiring steel composite superstructure reflect the longer clear spans demanded by the road crossings and utilities beneath the flyover — engineering complexity that demanded specialised design solutions.
| Official Name | Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road Flyover (CMLR Flyover) |
| Location | Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road, Mankhurd, Mumbai — 400088, Maharashtra |
| Length | 2.9 km |
| Width | 24 metres |
| Lanes | 6 lanes |
| Construction Technology | PSC box girder, segment technology, single pier |
| Special Spans | Steel composite superstructure for 50m and 60m obligatory spans |
| Strategic Function | Eastern Expressway → Thane Creek Bridge → Navi Mumbai |
| Nearest Railway | Mankhurd Station (Central/Harbour Line) — 6 min walk |
| Nearest Metro | VNP & RC Marg Junction (Mumbai Metro Line 2) |
| Nearest Bus Stops | Maharashtra Nagar — 4 min walk; Mohite Patil Nagar |
| Bus Routes | 507LTD, 533LTD, C-505, MSRTC, A-507, A-517, A-533, AC-53, AC-26, AC-60 |
| Key Destinations | Navi Mumbai, Pune, Lonavala (via Thane Creek Bridge) |
| Under Bridge Use | Additional traffic lanes and pedestrian movement |
| Best For | Mumbai-Navi Mumbai commuters, Pune/Lonavala highway, Eastern suburbs |
Location and Address
Mankhurd Flyover (CMLR Flyover) is located on the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road, Mankhurd, Mumbai — 400088, Maharashtra. The flyover begins at the Eastern Expressway-Eastern Freeway interchange zone in Ghatkopar and extends 2.9 km to the Thane Creek Bridge approach at Mankhurd, creating a continuous elevated highway that eliminates the historically severe surface-level congestion on the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road corridor.
The Mankhurd area occupies a geographically unique position in Mumbai’s eastern suburban geography — the zone where the island city’s municipal limits meet the Thane Creek, the waterway that separates Mumbai from the mainland and the Navi Mumbai planned township. Lallubhai Compound (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chowk) — one of Mumbai’s most extensive public housing complexes with tens of thousands of residents — is within 1.5 km of the flyover. The VNP (Vashi Naka) and RC Marg junction marks the approach to the Thane Creek Bridge from the Mumbai side.
The CMLR Flyover’s single-pier construction is technically significant beyond just space efficiency — single-pier elevated structures with near-26m wide decks require sophisticated cantilever management, resolved here through steel fins from external girders. This engineering innovation has created a more slender, visually elegant flyover than double-pier alternatives would have produced in the same corridor, while simultaneously maximising the usable space beneath for additional road and pedestrian capacity.
Directions — Getting To and Through Mankhurd Flyover
From Mumbai’s Eastern Expressway Direction (Northwestward from Mankhurd) Vehicles travelling from the Ghatkopar end — approaching from Chembur, Govandi, and the Eastern Expressway’s Mumbai city direction — access the CMLR Flyover from the western end. The elevated structure carries these vehicles over the 2.9 km Ghatkopar-Mankhurd corridor at highway speed, continuing toward the Thane Creek Bridge and the Navi Mumbai approach. The morning commute from Mumbai toward Navi Mumbai is the dominant directional flow, with enormous volumes from the eastern suburbs heading to the Navi Mumbai tech parks, Belapur CBD, Vashi commercial zone, and the CIDCO-developed sectors.
From Navi Mumbai to Mumbai (Eastward/Reverse Direction) Vehicles from Navi Mumbai — crossing the Thane Creek Bridge from the Vashi Naka direction — enter the CMLR Flyover from the Mankhurd eastern end for the reverse journey toward Ghatkopar, Chembur, and ultimately the Eastern Expressway toward Central Mumbai and beyond. The evening reverse peak hour carries an enormous volume of Navi Mumbai-to-Mumbai workers, creating the symmetric bi-directional load that the 6-lane width was designed to manage.
To Pune and Lonavala For vehicles from Mumbai’s eastern suburbs heading toward the Mumbai-Pune Expressway — accessing via the Eastern Freeway, then the CMLR Flyover to Thane Creek Bridge, then through Navi Mumbai toward Khopoli and the Expressway — the Mankhurd Flyover is the first elevated structure in this inter-city highway journey, setting the tone for the long-distance travel that follows.
Access to Adjacent Areas The single-pier construction’s preserved ground-level space beneath the flyover provides access to Maharashtra Nagar, Mohite Patil Nagar, and the Mankhurd residential areas without requiring full entry onto the elevated carriageway — auto-rickshaws, bicycles, and pedestrians use the ground-level capacity while through-traffic uses the elevated deck above.
Routes and Transit Connectivity
By Central/Harbour Line — Mankhurd Station at 6 min Walk Mankhurd Railway Station is the nearest transit station — approximately 6 minutes walking distance confirmed by the CMLR Flyover Moovit data (Mankhurd station at 456 metres). Mankhurd Station is on the Central Railway’s Harbour Line Branch connecting Mumbai CST through Wadala, Chembur, Govandi, Mankhurd, and extending toward Panvel. The Harbour Line’s connectivity brings passengers from Andheri, Kurla, Chembur, and the entire Navi Mumbai township (through the Belapur-Vashi direction) to Mankhurd within accessible transit times. First train service at 4:20 AM, last at 1:49 AM.
By Mumbai Metro Line 2 VNP & RC Marg Junction is the nearest Mumbai Metro station — approximately 24 minutes walking from the CMLR Flyover zone. Mumbai Metro Line 2 (Yellow Line) provides metro connectivity from Dahisar East through the eastern suburbs. As the metro network develops in the Mankhurd-Ghatkopar corridor, metro accessibility will improve significantly for the flyover zone’s enormous residential population.
By BEST Bus Routes 507LTD, 533LTD, C-505, MSRTC, A-507, A-517, A-533, AC-53, C-505, AC-26, AC-60, 106AC, 107AC, and 108AC serve the Maharashtra Nagar and Mohite Patil Nagar stops near the flyover — Maharashtra Nagar stop at 4 minutes walking distance is the primary bus access point. MSRTC intercity buses to Navi Mumbai townships, Alibaug, Panvel, and destinations across Maharashtra use this corridor. Ola and Uber maintain availability throughout the Mankhurd area.
Navi Mumbai Connection Once across the Thane Creek Bridge (accessible via the Mankhurd Flyover), the entire Navi Mumbai Mass Transit System — Harbour Line to Belapur and Panvel, Navi Mumbai Metro (Aqua Line), and the extensive NMMT bus network — becomes accessible, making Mankhurd Flyover the critical junction point between Mumbai’s local transit network and Navi Mumbai’s separate but connected transit ecosystem.
Nearby Places — Eastern Mumbai and the Navi Mumbai Gateway
Lallubhai Compound — Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chowk Lallubhai Compound is one of Mumbai’s largest public housing developments — a massive MHADA and government-built complex housing tens of thousands of residents in the Mankhurd area. The compound’s scale creates a significant captive population for the flyover’s adjacent transit infrastructure. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chowk — the roundabout adjacent to Lallubhai Compound — is one of Mankhurd’s most important navigational landmarks.
Navi Mumbai Planned Township The Mankhurd Flyover’s connection to the Thane Creek Bridge makes it the gateway to Navi Mumbai — one of Asia’s largest planned cities with a 2011 population of over 1.1 million and growing rapidly. The CIDCO-developed planned sectors of Vashi, Turbhe, Kopar Khairane, Ghansoli, Airoli, Belapur, Nerul, Kharghar, Panvel, and dozens of other sectors are all accessible via the Thane Creek Bridge that the flyover approaches.
Chembur’s Premium Transformation Chembur — immediately accessible from the Mankhurd Flyover zone via the Eastern Expressway — has transformed from an industrial area into one of Mumbai’s most premium residential and commercial zones. The Diamond Garden, Basant Park, and RCF Colony areas create the neighbourhood character that the flyover’s Ghatkopar end serves.
Dharavi and Eastern Expressway Access Dharavi — Mumbai’s most internationally discussed neighbourhood and increasingly the subject of major redevelopment — is accessible from the Ghatkopar-Chembur direction, connected to the Mankhurd zone through the Eastern Expressway network.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is Mankhurd Flyover’s official name?
A: Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road Flyover, also called CMLR Flyover — connecting the Eastern Expressway at Ghatkopar to the Thane Creek Bridge approach at Mankhurd.
Q: Why is the Mankhurd Flyover so strategically important?
A: It directly connects Mumbai’s Eastern Expressway to the Thane Creek Bridge — described by engineering assessments as “by far the only connection of southern Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.” Without this flyover, all Mumbai-Navi Mumbai road traffic would be on surface roads.
Q: How long and wide is the Mankhurd Flyover?
A: 2.9 km long and 24 metres wide — a substantial six-lane elevated structure that simultaneously allows traffic and pedestrian movement beneath the single-pier design.
Q: Which railway station is closest to Mankhurd Flyover?
A: Mankhurd Railway Station on the Central Line Harbour Branch — approximately 6 minutes walking distance (456 metres).
Q: What is the key innovation in Mankhurd Flyover’s construction?
A: The segment technology on single piers — enabling use of the ground level beneath for additional traffic and pedestrian movement — combined with steel fins from external girders solving the long-cantilever challenge for the near-26m wide deck construction.