Gokhale Bridge, that links Andheri East to West, closed to traffic from today

Mumbai police have issued instructions on alternate routes to be taken by the public but suspect that it will take a few days for everyone to get to know them.

The alternate routes are likely to add 2-5 km of distance for commuters travelling between east and west in the western suburbs. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

“Generally, the bridge saw a lot of traffic as it is one of the main routes connecting two sides of Andheri. Now, with the bridge being shut we suspect chaos for the first few days for which we have deployed extra traffic policemen,” an officer said.

The bridge goes over the Western suburban railway tracks just south of Andheri railway station. It is also an important link in this area of the western suburbs, connecting the Western Express Highway that falls on its east side, with the SV Road that falls on its West. It is among the busiest routes in the Western suburbs, especially during peak hours.

The BMC decided to shut the bridge as it found the structure to be unsafe during a structural audit in September. The audit found that the portion presently operational has weakened due to corrosion of the steel girders. On November 1, the civic body wrote to the Mumbai traffic police to draw up a plan for alternate travel routes for commuters, who use the bridge.

The traffic police have suggested other east-west connectors in the vicinity for commuters such as the Balasaheb Thackeray flyover, the Andheri subway, the Milan subway and the Mrinal Tai Gore flyover. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

The closure of the bridge is expected to prompt more commuters to use the Andheri metro. In a statement last week, a Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) spokesperson said, “Mumbai Metro One is prepared to accommodate additional commuters due to the closure of the Gokhale Bridge. We anticipate the ridership to increase by around 20,000 per day. We have also kept a train on standby and will introduce services if we come across any increase in footfalls at the stations. We had successfully accommodated additional commuters when the bridge was closed in July 2018.”

In 2018, a portion of the bridge collapsed killing two people. Following the incident, it was found that the portion which collapsed was under the jurisdiction of the Railways.

P Velrasu, Additional Municipal Commissioner of BMC and in-charge of the project said that tenders for the new Gokhale Bridge will be floated within the next month for the final design and approval of the bridge will be completed soon.

Alternate routes to take

* The traffic police have suggested other east-west connectors in the vicinity for commuters such as the Balasaheb Thackeray flyover, the Andheri subway, the Milan subway and the Mrinal Tai Gore flyover

* These alternate routes are likely to add 2-5 km of distance for commuters travelling between east and west in the western suburbs and will add to traffic snarls on the Western Express Highway and SV Road, especially during peak hours