21 February,2020 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
The part of the bridge above the railway lines is intact and will not need repairs. One carriageway will be shut down while traffic continues on the other
Cut, repair, rejoin, all while motorists continue to use it - that's what will happen to Andheri's Gokhale Road Bridge, which had collapsed partially on the railway tracks two years ago. The BMC has decided to cut the bridge across its length. Given the traffic on the bridge, the civic body came up with this proposal to rebuild it in phases.
A part of Gokhale Bridge, located towards the south end of Andheri station, collapsed on the railway tracks on July 3, 2018. The 49-year-old bridge needed reconstruction, the BMC's audit and testing found. While the middle portion of the bridge on the railway tracks is in good condition, the pillars and other beams on either side are corroded. The BMC will demolish and construct that part without any dimensional changes. The work will be done from S V Road up to the western end of the bridge - from railway land up to Teli Galli on the east.
Map of the Gokhale Road Bridge repair plan. Graphic/Uday Mohite
Like Delisle bridge at Lower Parel station, the BMC will reconstruct only the slopes of the bridge by cutting one half of the bridge. It will be rebuilt, the second half will be demolished and rebuilt and then the two will be joined together. "The structure of the bridge is such that it can be cut without disturbing its strength. The width of each of the carriageways of the bridge is 10.5 metres each and each one has three lanes. We will not increase the size of the carriageway after demolition," said a senior officer from the bridges department.
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"The cutting will be done with the help of a diamond cutter machine. It can cut the concrete part without disturbing the structural strength of the other part," said another officer. A proposal of '138 crore for the reconstruction of the bridge was passed by the BMC standing committee on February 11. "The process of issuing the work order to the contractor is on. If all goes according to plan, work will begin within two months and will be completed in 18 months," a civic engineer said.
Rs 138crore
Amount sanctioned for the reconstruction of the bridge
49 years
Age of Gokhale Bridge
18 months
Time in which work is likely to conclude
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