'I Paid for My Own Mistake': Stuck in Mumbai Traffic, Nitin Gadkari Calls for Multi-tier Flyovers and US Tech Tie-ups

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was reportedly delayed by nearly an hour due to heavy traffic while travelling from Worli to an event in Mumbai on Saturday, prompting him to call for the replacement of ageing flyovers with futuristic multi-tier structures and stronger India-US technology cooperation.

Addressing the 22nd Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), Gadkari took responsibility for the city's traffic bottlenecks, pointing out that the 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway constructed during his tenure as Maharashtra's Public Works Minister from 1995 to 2000 relied on older, now-outdated engineering methods.

Upgrading Urban Flyovers

To tackle rising congestion, the minister revealed he has advised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to replace traditional flyovers with modern construction techniques. Citing a proposed ₹50,000-crore infrastructure programme in Pune, Gadkari highlighted recently acquired Malaysian technology that enables multiple tiers of flyovers to rest on a single set of pillars, topped by an elevated metro corridor to maximise space and ease urban transit.

Harnessing American Innovation

Beyond road modernisations, Gadkari reportedly urged the IACC to bridge Indian capability with American resources and technical expertise across key sectors, including defence and agriculture. Emphasising that knowledge, innovation, research and entrepreneurship will drive India's future economic growth, he noted that the country has already overtaken Japan to become the world's third-largest automobile market behind China and the United States.