Five years on, cost of Oshiwara-JVLR bridge escalates by Rs 100 cr

It has been five years since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) first proposed the ambitious project to connect Oshiwara with Jogeshwari-Vikholi Link Road (JVLR), but the only aspect of the project that progressed uninterruptedly is its cost.

Graphic/Amit Bandre

The project is supposed to be completed in two phases. While phase-I comprises connectivity from the Oshiwara Link Road to the Western Express Highway (WEH), in phase-II the highway will be linked with the JVLR. Pegged at Rs 198 crore in 2009, the cost of the phase-I which again is divided into two parts has escalated by Rs 99.87 crore.

But despite the price rise, it would take over a year before the structure is finally thrown open for public use because only 60 per cent of the total work has been completed.

While work on the flyover starting from near Millat high school to SV Road phase I is only 10 per cent complete, the construction of the Jogeshwari-south rail over-bridge (ROB) phase II is half done. The remaining 50 per cent includes construction of a cable-stayed bridge passing over the WEH.

Officialspeak
Additional Municipal Commissioner SVR Srinivas said, "When I was with the MMRDA, construction of cable-stayed portion of the metro bridge passing over the WEH was an achievement.

This was accomplished without hampering traffic on the highway even for a day. Construction of the cable-stayed portion of the ROB, passing over the highway, is crucial and a demanding task. Our focus is on connecting east with west, and we need additional Rs 99.87 crore to do so."

A senior official from the bridges department said there were chances of fresh tenders being floated to start the construction work by a new contractor. "The cable-stayed portion passing over the WEH is a crucial part of the bridge and we don't want to take chances while constructing it."