Mumbai’s Historic Carnac Bridge Reopens as ‘Sindoor Bridge’ on July 10 — A Tribute to Operation Sindoor
Mumbai’s Historic Carnac Bridge Reopens as ‘Sindoor Bridge’ on July 10 — A Tribute to Operation Sindoor
Mumbai is set to witness the grand reopening of one of its oldest east–west connectors, as the iconic Carnac Bridge returns in a new avatar. Renamed ‘Sindoor Bridge’, the structure will be inaugurated on Thursday, July 10 at 10 AM, marking both a modern engineering feat and a tribute to Operation Sindoor — India’s decisive military action launched in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the bridge, alongside Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar, who proposed the new name. Other dignitaries including IT and Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar, Skills and Employment Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, MP Arvind Sawant, MLAs Sunil Shinde and Rajhans Singh, and BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani will also attend.
Situated near Masjid Bunder station, the revamped bridge will link P D Mello Road to some of South Mumbai’s busiest commercial stretches, aiming to decongest key roads such as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Mohammed Ali Road, Yusuf Meher Ali Road, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road, and Qazi Syed Road.
Originally built in 1868 and named after former Bombay Governor Sir James Rivett-Carnac, the old Carnac Bridge was dismantled in 2022 following safety concerns raised by a structural audit. The demolition paved the way for a safer, wider, and modern bridge designed to handle today’s traffic.
Constructed under the supervision of Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar, the new Sindoor Bridge spans 328 metres in total, including a 70-metre stretch over railway tracks and 230 metres of approach roads. Unlike its predecessor, which had just two lanes, the new bridge boasts four lanes, effectively doubling traffic capacity. The project, costing over ₹60 crore, took nearly three years to complete.
Though the main work and load tests concluded by June 10 this year, delays in receiving final No-Objection Certificates from Central Railway and finishing touches like signage installation pushed back the inauguration date. This prompted protests from Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS earlier this month.
With all safety approvals and clearances now secured, the BMC expects Sindoor Bridge to become a vital lifeline for South Mumbai, easing traffic through some of its most crowded zones. The renaming stands as a symbolic salute to India’s armed forces and the successful Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror sites in Pakistan this May.
