Carnac Bridge Renamed as Sindoor Flyover in Mumbai
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis officially opened the newly reconstructed Carnac bridge in Mumbai which has been renamed the ‘Sindoor Bridge.’ The name change thanks to recent military operations against terrorist camps in Pakistan, ‘Operation Sindoor.’ It also frees the city from the legacy of the colonial period and British Governor James Rivett-Carnac, who ruled at a time when brutal oppression of the citizens took place.
Renaming and Official Opening of the Bridge
On July 10, 2025 Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will publicly open the newly built bridge formerly known as Carnac Bridge. Devendra Fadnavis said, the newly renamed ‘Sindoor Bridge’ was named only after Operation Sindoor, through which now Indian soldiers will be honoured for their bravery, and secondly to rid the bridge of Governor Carnac and the colonial memory that it represented for Indians…Governor, James Rivett-Carnac conspired to oppress the people of India that did exist during the British rule, as reflected in Prabodhankar Thackeray writings about Carnac, in the conspiracy against Chhatrapati Pratap Singh Raje of Satara and his relative Rango Bapuji.”
Fadnavis eluded to the importance of the renaming of this bridge, as it represents small victories in the larger fight to remove symbols of colonial oppression.
Bridge construction details
The bridge is 328 meters long in spans that we have seen previously, the four lane bridge will ease vehicular traffic in congested, high volume areas such as Crawford Market, Kalbadevi, and Dhobi Talao. The old two lane Carnac Bridge built in 1868 and resurfaced in 2013 was demolished in 2022 after deemed structurally unsafe by an audit.
Why its delayed
It is important to note that construction was completed on (the bridge) June 13, 2025, but the ‘officially’ public opening was delayed due to additional work required like signboard installation and No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Central Railway. Protests ahead of the opening were staged on July 2, by both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Historical Background of Carnac Bridge
The original bridge was named after James Rivett-Carnac, the Governor of Bombay from 1839 to 1841. He was one of many colonial administrators whose names remain on infrastructure across India. The new name, Sindoor, is intended to reflect India’s present-day strength and break away from its colonial past.