Gokhale Bridge closure in Andheri leads to traffic chaos, activist calls for temporary use of railway bridge

Advocate Godfrey Pimenta who runs the NGO Watchdog Foundation said the the reconstruction of the Gokhale Bridge should be incentivised with a hefty bonus for completion within six months.

Gokhale Bridge in Mumbai (file)

The closure of the Gokhale Bridge in Mumbai for repairs led to utter chaos in traffic management Monday. The Andheri subway as well as the railway flyover near Vile Parle saw heavy congestion due to the closure of the bridge which connects Andheri (East) with Andheri (West).

“Traffic police personnel are nowhere to be seen to effectively manage the traffic. The hawkers below the Andheri Metro station, who are squatting on the busy road, have compounded the problem,” alleged advocate Godfrey Pimenta, a resident and a well-known city activist who runs the NGO Watchdog Foundation.

Also Read | Gokhale bridge: Two lanes to be opened within six months of commencement of repair work, say officials

Since the flyover, which is under construction on the east side of the Gokhale Bridge, would be lying idle for at least two years or more, the connectivity between the east and the west will be affected leading to traffic chaos, particularly during monsoon when the Andheri subway would be closed for vehicular traffic, said Pimenta.

“As an interim measure, we hereby demand that the Maharashtra government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) should request the Western Railway to let school and college students and senior citizens use its southbound railway bridge,” Pimenta said.

Also Read | Mumbai police ramp up deployment around Gokhale bridge to manage traffic

“Further, the tender for the reconstruction of the Gokhale Bridge should be incentivised with a hefty bonus for completion within six months. If a bridge on Savitri River in Mahad can be reconstructed within a record time of six months, then why is it taking longer?” asked Pimenta.

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