BMC completes successful trial run of Gokhale Bridge girders in Mumbai

The civic officials said, now that the trial run is successful, the entire girder will be launched during the intervening night of December 2 and 3.

The BMC carried out the trial launch between 12 am and 4 am on Friday. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Friday successfully completed the trial launch of the first Open Web Girder (OWG) of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge in Mumbai’s Andheri.

P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (Projects) confirmed the successful run and said that the girder is being launched over the launching pad that has been erected above the railway tracks.

The civic officials said, now that the trial run is successful, the entire girder will be launched during the intervening night of December 2 and 3.

The BMC carried out the trial launch between 12 am and 4 am on Friday. A trial launch is the process in which the steel girder of a bridge is launched on the superstructure after it is assembled.

Trial launch is taken up to check if there is any defect or malfunction in the girders, since it’s on these girders the main carriageway of the bridge is constructed through which vehicular and pedestrian movement take place.

During the trial run, the BMC launched the entire 90 metre OWG by four metre by sliding it over the erected pillars. Civic officials said that the remaining 86 metre will be pushed during the final launch.

“The trial run was carried to check if the assembling of the girders were done properly and if there were any malfunctions that could arise in the long run. As of now, we have slid the OWG by four metre and the remaining portion will be launched during the wee hours of Saturday and Sunday,” said an official.

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The BMC has already written to the western railways and have asked for a traffic block during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

After the first girder is launched completely, the construction work of creating the carriageways will begin and the BMC aims to finish this in the next two months as the deadline for opening one arm of this bridge is in February 2024, while the entire bridge is set to become operational by May next year.

A crucial east-west connector in Andheri at Mumbai’s western suburbs, the Gokhale Bridge was shut down in November last year after the authorities cited weak structural stability of the bridge. The old structure was demolished by the railways in December last year and the work order for building the new bridge was issued in January this year.

Pratip Acharya

Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India. Expertise & Authority Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai. Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in: Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting. City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region. Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis: National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019. State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019. Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis. Experience Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies: Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014). Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express. Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More

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