BMC to spend Rs 16 crore on audit of bridges

South Mumbai currently only has 98 bridges

Three years after the collapse of the Himalaya foot overbridge at CSMT, the BMC has decided to carry out regular audits of all bridges in the city, pre and post monsoon every year. The audits for five years will cost the civic body around Rs 16 crore.

According to the bridges department of the BMC, there are a total of 443 bridges, including 23 skywalks in the city. Some bridges have been counted twice, like the freeway, as they fall in two different zones. Over 50 per cent of the bridges - 224 - are over rivers and nullahs and most of them are in the suburbs, while 27 bridges over the railway are within South Mumbai.

The bridges department has finalised the tender process and recommended M/s Structronics Consulting Engineers to carry out the audit of the bridges for the south part of the city and eastern suburbs. There are 98 bridges in the south and 167 in the eastern suburbs; the corporation will pay Rs 5.39 crore for the city and Rs 5.96 crore for the eastern parts. M/s SCG Consultancy Services is the lowest bidder and recommended by the department for audit of bridges in the western suburbs, which will cost another Rs 5 crore.

The audit cost will include routine and principal inspections with non-destructive testing (NDT) and a special inspection, where major lapses are found. The contractor will also do a detailed structural audit and suggest design for repairing the bridge.

Though South Mumbai has only 98 bridges, the audit cost is almost the same as others, due to a higher number of large and old bridges. "The south city has more rail overbridges. Additionally, the bridges are old and require additional tests to check the stability," said an official from the BMC. The administrator will take a call on the proposals by the bridges department as the standing committee hadn't taken them for discussion till the last meeting.