Mumbai is preparing to expand public sanitation access along the Eastern Express Highway with plans to develop four additional highway toilets between Nahur and Vikhroli, a move aimed at addressing long-standing gaps in commuter infrastructure on one of the city’s busiest transport corridors. Civic officials say the project is intended to improve accessibility, road-user convenience and public hygiene standards while supporting more inclusive urban mobility systems across the metropolitan region. The proposed facilities will be constructed on both carriageways of the arterial route, with two toilets planned in each direction. Municipal authorities have initiated the tendering process for the project, estimated at over ₹86 lakh, and expect the amenities to become operational within the next several months.
The Eastern Express Highway carries thousands of daily commuters, including bus passengers, truck drivers, taxi operators and delivery workers, yet sanitation access along the corridor has remained limited despite rising traffic volumes and expanding residential development in the eastern suburbs. Urban planners note that transport infrastructure in large Indian cities has historically prioritised vehicle movement over basic commuter needs such as public toilets, shaded waiting areas and pedestrian amenities. The expansion of the highway toilet infrastructure network comes at a time when Mumbai is witnessing increased pressure on civic utilities due to rapid urbanisation and intensified suburban growth. Experts in urban mobility say sanitation facilities are essential not only from a public health perspective but also for gender-inclusive city planning. Women commuters, elderly citizens and long-distance transport workers are often disproportionately affected by inadequate public toilet access along highways and transit corridors. Officials associated with the project indicated that newer facilities are expected to incorporate improved maintenance systems and durable infrastructure capable of handling high daily footfall.
Urban development observers believe the long-term success of such projects will depend less on construction and more on operational sustainability, cleanliness monitoring and water management practices. Mumbai first experimented with dedicated roadside sanitation infrastructure nearly a decade ago, but implementation has remained uneven across different transport routes. Several existing public toilets along major roads have struggled with maintenance, accessibility and vandalism, raising broader questions about lifecycle planning in civic infrastructure investments. Public health experts argue that expanding highway toilet infrastructure can contribute to cleaner streets, reduce open urination hotspots and improve environmental conditions around dense transport corridors. The initiative also aligns with wider national and municipal goals around sanitation access, urban liveability and climate-resilient public infrastructure.
As Mumbai continues investing heavily in expressways, metro lines and multimodal transport upgrades, planners say equal attention must be given to civic amenities that directly affect daily commuter experience. The upcoming highway toilets may appear modest compared to large-scale infrastructure projects, but they highlight a growing recognition that people-first urban planning depends as much on basic services as on megaprojects.
