Gadkari gets stuck in Mumbai traffic, says we need tech for better infrastructure

The Union Minister stressed futuristic infrastructure and stronger India-US technology cooperation to tackle India's pressing development challenges and accelerate growth.Union Minister Nitin Gadkari during Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards event in Mumbai on Saturday. (Screengrab: YouTube@IndoAmericanChambersofCommerce)Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday highlighted the need to replace ageing flyovers and adopt advanced construction technology to address growing traffic congestion, recounting how he himself was delayed by nearly an hour while travelling through Mumbai.Speaking at the 22nd Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) in Mumbai, Gadkari said futuristic infrastructure and greater technology cooperation between India and the US could help address some of the country’s pressing development challenges.The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said he reached the event an hour late after being caught in heavy traffic while travelling from Worli to the hotel where the function was held.Referring to his own experience, he took responsibility for the situation and recalled the infrastructure projects undertaken when he served as Maharashtra’s Public Works Minister. "Today I got late by an hour to reach here for this programme, because I got stuck in the traffic from Worli to this hotel. It took me one extra hour," Gadkari told the gathering."But that is actually me paying for my mistake (audience laughs). From 1995–2000, I got a chance to construct 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, but at that time this technology was not available," he added. Gadkari said infrastructure designed several decades ago is increasingly becoming a constraint as traffic volumes rise.He said he had advised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that existing flyovers should be replaced with structures based on newer technologies, rather than continuing to rely solely on conventional designs.Referring to a proposed infrastructure programme worth Rs 50,000 crore in Pune, Gadkari said India had recently acquired technology from Malaysia that would allow several levels of flyovers to be built over a single set of pillars, with a metro corridor potentially running at a higher level.He said such multi-level infrastructure could provide a more sustainable response to urban congestion and growing transportation requirements.The minister also used the occasion to underline the scope for stronger strategic and economic cooperation between India and the US.He said the IACC has an important role in identifying areas where the two countries can work together by combining India’s capabilities with American resources and technological expertise."Some people turn problems into opportunities, while others turn opportunities into problems. However, let us embrace the challenges. India possesses potential, while the US has resources and technology. Based on this, we can create a 'win-win' situation for the world".Gadkari further stressed that knowledge, innovation, entrepreneurship, research and technology would remain central to India’s economic expansion.He said American leadership in technology presented an opportunity for greater industrial collaboration across sectors, including agriculture and defence.Gadkari also pointed to the growth of India’s automobile industry, saying its size had risen sharply since he took charge of the ministry.According to him, India has overtaken Japan to become the world’s third-largest automobile market, behind the US and China.The minister’s remarks placed infrastructure modernisation and India-US technological cooperation at the centre of the event, with upcoming multi-level projects in cities such as Pune expected to demonstrate how newer engineering solutions could reshape urban transport.- EndsPublished On: Sep 12, 2026 23:45 IST