Mumbai’s Navy Marathon on Sunday caused significant disruptions to traffic and public transport in South Mumbai, leading to the cancellation, curtailment, or diversion of over 30 BEST bus routes and the complete closure of at least nine major roads throughout the morning. These measures were implemented to ensure the safety of marathon participants and to manage crowd flow, impacting thousands of commuters in the region.
“The Navy Marathon required extensive rerouting across South Mumbai, and we acknowledge the effect this has on our daily passengers. Our top priority remains the safety of all participants while ensuring essential connectivity. We ask commuters to cooperate with these temporary changes and stay updated via our official channels and Mumbai Police announcements,” stated a BEST official.
According to the operational plan from BEST, four bus routes-132, 108, 123, and 155-were entirely suspended starting at 5 am. These routes typically cover high-traffic areas such as Bhulabhai Desai Road and Peddar Road and were closed due to the complete blockade along the marathon route.
Additionally, four other routes, including 77, 154, and 121, were curtailed, with buses terminating early at locations like Haji Ali, Churchgate, and ST Office instead of their full routes. Officials indicated that these adjustments were necessary as multiple junctions along the routes were blocked or turned into “no cross” zones to facilitate the race.
The primary impact was seen in the rerouting of over 25 bus lines, which were redirected to avoid the marathon barricades. Key affected routes included 78, 63, 28, 86, 9, 14, and many others. The new paths took buses through alternate corridors, utilizing roads like the Coastal Road, Mukesh Chowk, Mahapalika Road, and Shahid Bhagat Singh Road.
Furthermore, nine major roads were either partially or fully closed starting at 5 or 6 am. This included Bhulabhai Desai Road, Peddar Road, NSCI, MG Road, and several others. The traffic police have announced that these closures will remain in place until the marathon has concluded and clearance operations are finished. Various depots, like Backbay, Colaba, Worli, and CND, coordinated the operations and provided public advisories. Commuters were advised to anticipate delays and consider using alternative routes or to plan their travel post-operations.
The annual marathon, organized in collaboration with the Navy, attracts thousands of participants across different categories, including a full marathon, half-marathon, and a 10K run. The event typically traverses major corridors in South Mumbai, requiring early morning road closures and public transport diversions to establish a safe environment for runners. This year’s marathon followed a similar southbound path as previous editions, leading to extensive traffic restrictions across vital roads.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/best-bus-routes-hit-nine-major-roads-closed-mumbais-navy-marathon-today-10381522/
Category: Cities,Mumbai
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Publish Date: 2025-11-23 13:26:00
