Traffic snarl costs Gadkari an hour, sparks flyover modernisation pitch

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari found himself caught in heavy traffic congestion in Mumbai, arriving nearly an hour late to an engagement on Wednesday. The delay prompted the senior BJP leader to acknowledge the infrastructure challenges plaguing the metropolis and advocate for technological solutions to address them.

"Today I got late by an hour," Gadkari remarked, referencing the traffic gridlock that has become increasingly problematic on Mumbai's roads. The minister noted that much of the city's elevated highway network dates back to the 1990s, when he served as Maharashtra's Public Works Department Minister—a period he referenced with self-deprecating humour.

The experience has reinforced Gadkari's argument for modernising Mumbai's ageing flyover systems. Rather than simply maintaining or extending existing infrastructure, the minister has been promoting the adoption of newer technologies and engineering approaches to replace outdated elevated structures that no longer adequately serve the city's growing traffic demands.

The incident underscores the persistent infrastructure bottlenecks affecting India's financial capital, where rapid urbanisation has outpaced the capacity of roads built decades earlier. Gadkari's comments suggest the central government is considering comprehensive modernisation strategies for major metropolitan areas grappling with chronic congestion issues.