MMRDA installed 58-meter-long steel span in Ghatkopar, Mumbai Metro Line 4 nears completion

In order to carry out the work, MMRDA used two 700-metric-tonne and 500-metric-tonne cranes as well as standby cranes of 500 and 80 tonnes.

More than 100 workers, safety staff, and engineers participated in the installation, assisted by over 50 trained traffic wardens.

An MMRDA official said the project was planned to avoid disruption to daily commuters. “The span installation was completed at night hours with traffic management measures in place to ensure safety and movement,” the official said.

Metro Line 4 connecting Wadala to Kasarvadavli via a 32.3 km stretch is reported to be 84.5 per cent ready. After the line is commissioned, east-west connectivity in the city will get a boost.

The site of the span posed engineering difficulties with the operational bus station beneath and an uninterrupted flow of traffic on the abutting roads. “It was important to coordinate between teams since space was tight and movement of equipment had to be carefully planned,” the MMRDA official further said.

The authorities said that the installation is one of the last big works in this section of Metro Line 4, with track laying, system installation, and station interior works remaining. The project had been delayed because of land acquisition problems and pandemic-related issues.

The steel girder will carry the elevated tracks over the Pantnagar bus station and part of a viaduct connecting major points along the corridor. “This milestone prepares the route to be integrated with other metro lines later, making it a larger network for the metro system of Mumbai,” added the official.