Day after Gokhale bridge opens, commuters fret over its non-alignment with Barfiwala Flyover

While the east-west origin and drop points of the new bridge have remained the same, the two arms of the Barfiwala Flyover and the newly built Gokhale Bridge are not aligning. As a result, motorists travelling towards Juhu will have to go via SV Road in Andheri Junction, while earlier they could take the flyover.

The construction of the 90-metre bridge was completed within 15 months and was lauded as an “enginering marvel” by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Even as citizens alleged that the result of the non-alignment of the two bridges is a result of “improper planning”, administrative agencies maintained that all relevant guidelines were followed while constructing the bridge.

Speaking with The Indian Express, the authorities maintained that the vertical alignment of the new bridge was increased as per the guidelines prescribed by the Indian Railways. Vertical alignment refers to the axis of an elevated bridge between its foundation base and girders.

“Since the Union ministry us upgrading railway lines across the country, their latest set of guidelines say that any new railway overbridge (ROB) should be constructed at an additional height of two metres. The Barfiwala Flyover was constructed earlier, therefore, there is a height mismatch and I assure that the two bridges will be merged by year-end and no demolition work will be carried out for this,” Chahal had said during his inaugural speech.

Western Railway spokesperson Sumit Thakur told The Indian Express that the Barfiwala Flyover did not exist in the blueprint of the new Gokhale bridge that was shown to the railways for alignment.

“The Barfiwala Flyover originates from the western side of Andheri and it doesn’t go above the railway tracks. Therefore, giving any recommendation pertaining to this bridge doesn’t concern our office. Our office was involved with the construction and demolition of the new Gokhale Bridge only,” Thakur told Express.

“However, the BMC was told to increase the height of the new Gokhale Bridge by two metres as the policy of the Indian Railways mandated. The vertical alignments of ROBs are increased as a safety mechanism since high-speed trains run on these tracks and the older bridge was constructed in the 1960s. Therefore, to meet the modern day requirements, it was advised to increase the alignment,” he said.

P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (Projects) who spearheaded the construction project of the new Gokhale Bridge, said that it was the BMC’s plan to merge the two bridges.

“Since the Railways had mandated us to increase the vertical alignment, we had to adhere by it. Therefore, the only way to merge the two bridges was by creating a new ramp. However, considering the space we had, the ramp would become very steep that in turn would be dangerous for motorists,” Velrasu said.

Nitin Killawala, an architect and Juhu resident, said that the issue must have been properly negotiated by the authorities. “The absence of Barfiwala Flyover is creating a huge traffic congestion in Juhu area. The authorities should have chalked out an alternative plan to merge the two bridges,” said Killawala.

Nitin Desai, another resident from Andheri east, said, “Instead of opening this bridge haphazardly, the authorities should have waited for a while and opened all six lanes together.”

Way forward

Velrasu said that the BMC has appointed the IIT-B and Veermata Jijabai Technical Institute (VJTI) for creating an alternative to realign these two bridges. “Our first priority was to open the Gokhale Bridge as early as possible since it is a primary connector… Now that one arm of this bridge is ready, a decision on realigning it with the Barfiwala flyover will be taken up after the experts submit their report,” Velrasu told Express.

He said that there are two ways of aligning the bridge — one by creating a connector and second to demolish the existing Barfiwala flyover and construct a new one. A technical committee of experts from these two institutes will submit a report, following which the civic body will take a call.

The Gokhale bridge

A key east-west connector in the western suburbs, the Gokhale bridge connects the eastern and western parts of Andheri – an important commercial and residential hub in suburban Mumbai. According to the railway officials, the alignment of this bridge was prepared during the 1960s and the bridge had existed since then.

In July 2018, a portion of this bridge collapsed, leading to five deaths, following which a structural audit was carried out.

In November 2022, the civic authorities closed the bridge and announced that a new bridge will be constructed after demolishing the old structure.

The work order for constructing this new bridge was issued in January 2023 and on Monday, the BMC opened the new bridge partially for vehicular movement.