Facing flak over poorly designed bridges, BMC sets up SOP for bridge construction and design 

Currently, Mumbai is in the midst of an infrastructural churn with a large number of bridge projects unfolding across the city. The BMC’s bridge department — which has been allocated a budget of Rs. 8,238.73 for the 2025-2026 fiscal–is undertaking an array of projects in Mumbai with at least three key east-west connecting bridges opened for vehicular traffic over the past two months alone. These include the Carnac bridge, now rechristened Sindoor bridge, which was opened on July 10, Vikhroli bridge and the Gokhale bridge was fully opened on May 12.

However, planning of several newly opened bridges have drawn flak from citizens for design gaps such as insufficient walking space along the bridge, as in the case of the recently inaugurated Gokhale bridge, while some structures have raised concerns of creating new bottlenecks.

Eyeing to implement better planning, the BMC is now constituting a team of officials who will chalk out an SOP comprising norms for new bridge designs. According to senior officials, the SOP — which will be adhered to in every project — is aimed at inculcating a more holistic approach while planning.

“The process of creating a new team is presently underway and our objective is to lay out the civic body’s own SOP, which will be implemented in every bridge project. The SOP will look at the guidelines pertaining to the optimum width of the carriageway as well as the footpath. With the idea of making the bridge accessible for all citizens including the differently abled, the SOP will also outline the parameters for the pedestrian pathway design, stairs, ramps etc,” a senior official told The Indian Express.

“In a bid to avoid criss-cross movement of vehicles after they land from the bridges, the SOP will lay norms about the parameters for ideal location for the landing of the arms. It will also look at the appropriate design for the merging of arms with other roads,” the official added.

Cuurently, BMC bridges across the city are designed as per the standard rules enshrined in the Indian Road Congress (IRC). The alignment of the bridges and choosing locations where they should be built is decided by the BMC.

However, when it comes to structural designs of bridges such as identifying the way a bridge should be constructed, the length of its span and load capacity, the BMC hands over this work to outside consultants. Following the submissions by the consultants, the BMC gets the plans vetted by experts from IITs or other governmental institutes.

“Even though the BMC hires independent consultants, they fail to provide and plan for even the most basic of facilities. Most of the new bridges don’t have basic facilities like crossing segments, proper medians and footpath for pedestrians to walk at. While the SOP for BMC is required, it must be designed in adherence to the codes which have been detailed in the IRC. The IRC itself was laid down after extensive research and experts,” said Vivek Pai, an urban planner.

Acknowledging the lapses across city’s recently opened bridges, a senior BMC official said that consultants roped in for bridge projects have been slapped with penalties for failing to inculcate the designs on ground.