Gokhale bridge to be reopened by September 2023: BMC
Gokhale bridge is a key connector that links Andheri East and Andheri West.
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The traffic on the bridge is likely to start ahead of the 2023 monsoon. (Express Photo by Pradip Das)Keeping in mind the chock-a-block traffic situation in entire Andheri following the closure of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge for reconstruction, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday announced that the bridge will be reopened to traffic by September 2023.
The bridge is a key link that connects Andheri East and West in the western suburbs. It was shut for traffic and pedestrian movement from November 7. Initially, the civic body had set an 18-month deadline for its demolition and reconstruction.
The BMC’s decision to advance the deadline comes after senior civic officials carried out an inspection of the bridge construction site on Wednesday.
“We are aiming to open two lanes of the reconstructed bridge by May 2023 for traffic movement. The remaining two lanes will be opened by September 2023. This is the maximum deadline that we have set and if the railways complete the demolition of the bridge within the next one month and hand it over to us for reconstruction, then we may be able to finish the project a bit earlier,” Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) P Velrasu told The Indian Express on Wednesday.
Earlier on Monday, the BMC had written to Western Railway, asking it to expedite the demolition of the bridge at the earliest. However, on November 8, the railways wrote back to the civic body, asking it to undertake the demolition and reconstruction, with the railways providing support to the operation.
Civic officials said the bridge has to be demolished by the railway authorities as only they have the technical expertise.
“The bridge passes over railway tracks and overhead electric cables. Since trains run on these tracks throughout the day, we will only have a two-hour window for carrying out the demolition. Therefore, strict intervention is required from the railway authorities for blocking rail traffic and carrying out the demolition as they have both the expertise and manpower for such work,” Velrasu said.
“Historically, the BMC has not carried out demolition of any railway bridges. Even the Hancock and Carnac bridges were pulled down by the railways. …Discussions are already on between the two agencies and by the end of this week, demolition work is likely to begin,” he added.
Civic officials said they have contacted IIT-Bombay for finalising the design of the reconstructed bridge. IIT will give its go-ahead to the final plan of the bridge by the end of this week following which tenders will be floated, they added.
The BMC is planning to float tenders for the reconstruction of the bridge by December.
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