Mumbai: Conceived at the same time as MTHL, 2 road overbridges in eastern suburbs yet to be born

Work on the Vidyavihar road overbridge began in March 2018. Pic/Sameer Markande

While the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) has been thrown open to the public after a construction period of six years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appears to be struggling to complete two road overbridges that are only three per cent of the MTHL's size. While civic officials claim that design changes by the Railways and other factors led to the delays, activists appear unsurprised at the ‘historical lack of coordination' among government authorities.

Work on the 21-km MTHL, which is a sea bridge, began in April 2018. The BMC started working on the approximately 656-metre road over bridge in Vikhroli in May 2018. The bridge was supposed to be completed in October 2022. Its current deadline is June this year.

Factors behind delay

Explaining the delay in the project, BMC officials said that the bridge's design was changed. "The Railways suggested using steel girders after the work began. There is encroachment in a few places and underground utilities that need to be shifted. We are also facing a land crunch on the western side of Vikhroli station. Furthermore, the IIT Bombay suggested some changes in design. These include changing the thickness of the bottom plate of the main girder from 25 millimetres to 36 millimetres. The cost of the bridge has also increased from Rs 47.75 crore to Rs 97.37 crore," a BMC official said.

Construction of ROB at Vikhroli began in May 2018. Pic/Sameer Markande

The road over bridge at Vidyavihar has a similar story. Work on the bridge began in March 2018 and was supposed to be complete by mid-2022. Now the BMC has promised to complete it by mid-2024. "There was encroachment and we needed to shift the ticket-booking counter. We also changed the design of the bridge as per the Railways' upgraded guidelines," the BMC official said.

This bridge is also facing a price escalation. "The original cost of the 400-metre bridge including a 99-metre girder was R99.98 crore. This rose to R108 crore after changes made by the Railways to the bridge's design. Now the BMC has decided to increase its length to 613 metres and the girder's length to 120 metres. This will result in a total cost of R178.93 crore," the official added. The road over bridge at Vidyavihar was first proposed in Mumbai's Development Plan of 1991.

‘Lack of coordination'

"The delays in the construction of these bridges can be attributed to a lack of coordination between the two agencies. Before starting any project, all government authorities should ensure proper coordination between them. However, Mumbai has never witnessed coordination between government agencies," said activist Anil Galgali.

"The lack of coordination between government authorities is a historical fact. Politicians and government authorities need to prioritise projects based on people's needs," said civic activist Nikhil Desai. Asked for their comment regarding the delay in the bridges' construction and the BMC's explanation, a Central Railway spokesperson did not respond to mid-day's message till the time of going to press.

Rs 99.98 cr: Original cost of Vidyavihar bridge

Rs 178.93 cr: Escalated cost of Vidyavihar bridge