Roads to nowhere? Puzzling flyover designs expose flaws in India's infra planning

India's rapid urban transport expansion faces scrutiny as several newly built flyovers and bridges reveal puzzling designs, raising commuter confusion and safety concerns. These viral infrastructure issues highlight the urgent need for better planning and coordination across states.

India’s ambitious drive to modernise its urban transport network is facing uncomfortable questions, as a series of newly built and under-construction flyovers and bridges across states go viral for puzzling designs that have left commuters confused and safety experts concerned.

From Maharashtra to Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh to Bihar, images and videos circulating widely on social media have turned infrastructure projects into talking points, not for easing traffic, but for raising doubts over planning and execution.

In Maharashtra, a newly constructed flyover in the Mira-Bhayander area, built as part of Mumbai’s Metro Line 9 project, recently went viral after visuals showed a four-lane stretch abruptly narrowing into just two lanes. The sudden bottleneck sparked questions over planning foresight in a city struggling with chronic congestion.

Mumbai has faced similar criticism earlier. In 2024, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation faced public backlash after a visible six-foot gap emerged between the CD Barfiwala flyover and the rebuilt Gokhale Bridge in Andheri. The gap quickly became meme material online. Following public outrage, the civic body completed the missing link in 78 days, calling it a “challenging task.”

In 2025, the newly opened Vikhroli rail overbridge again drew criticism for having only three lanes, no central divider and no footpaths. Commuters and activists warned that the design could turn the bridge into an accident-prone stretch.

In Madhya Pradesh, a railway overbridge near Aishbagh Stadium in Bhopal became the centre of nationwide debate in 2025 after images revealed a near 90-degree turn on the structure.