Concreting of Mumbai’s roads to be completed before May 2025

MUMBAI: Starting October 1, the cement-concreting works on various roads across Mumbai will be accelerated to ensure completion by May 31, 2025. This directive was issued on Tuesday by additional municipal commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, who emphasised the need to finish the task within 240 days after the end of the monsoon.
To achieve the ambitious goal of concreting all roads under the BMC, work orders have been issued for 701 kilometres of road—392 kilometres in the first phase and 309 kilometres in the second. These roads span the city section and western and eastern suburbs. Civic chief and administrator Bhushan Gagrani has reviewed the progress of the cement-concreting projects and directed the involved agencies to ensure timely and efficient completion.
Bangar told HT that 30% of Phase 1 was completed on June 10 before the monsoon. “The remaining 70% will start from October 1,” he said. “In Phase 2, work on five packages for the whole city and one package for the island city, which was unfinished, will begin.”
The additional municipal commissioner has instructed that priority be given to road development and that all necessary coordination with utility service channels be established before beginning any new concreting work. Work on road projects has often seen delays on account of shifting of utilities and not getting a traffic NOC on time. “We have asked officials to fix a priority list and a timeline from November to May 2025,” he said. “The traffic NOC will be pursued by us so that there are no delays.”
Bangar stressed the importance of coordinating road works with various municipal departments, including the water engineering, stormwater drains and sewerage departments. He also directed that all government and private utility companies—electricity, gas, and telephone services—be informed about the road development schedule to ensure that their work was completed in tandem with the road projects. “The priority list will be given to the utilities so that it is done in coordination, and roads are not repeatedly dug up,” he said.
Bangar highlighted that the standard timeline for completing cement-concrete roads—from excavation to resuming traffic flow—is typically 30 to 45 days. He urged the sub-engineers and assistant engineers to prepare detailed schedules for concreting projects in their respective areas, emphasising the importance of adhering to these schedules and prioritising road development. Incomplete roads will be finished before any new projects are started. Contractors have been encouraged to work on multiple locations simultaneously to speed up the process.
To maintain the quality of the cement-concreting work, IIT Bombay has been appointed as a third-party organisation responsible for ensuring that the required standards are met throughout the project. It will oversee the quality from the concrete plant stage to the curing of the concrete roads, conducting various tests and providing guidance to officials and contractors as needed.
Bangar has also directed deputy engineers and assistant engineers from the BMC to regularly visit the work sites to review daily progress and ensure that the projects are completed swiftly.