Mumbai: No girders, no ramps; how will Gokhale bridge open in three months?

The unfinished work on Gokhale bridge on Tuesday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Residents of Andheri and Vile Parle are doubting BMC's claim that the second side of the Gokhale bridge will be open to the public before the monsoon. Though some work is in progress on the railway portion, work on the approach roads from both sides of the railway tracks is not even 50 per cent complete. The girders also haven't reached the site, and the repairing work of the Teli Galli flyover and levelling work of the Barfiwala bridge have not been completed.

The long-pending work of the Gokhale bridge has become a topic of discussion since the residents have to take a long and congested route via the Andheri subway or Captain Vinayak Gore flyover to reach their office or home. Though the BMC is working at full capacity to start one side of the flyover within the next 10 days - by February 25 - the residents fear traffic jams if only two lanes are open for vehicles.

The ongoing curing work on Gokhale bridge. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Before closing, the Gokhale bridge was always jam-packed with vehicles. "Once it opens for vehicles, the BMC and traffic police will need to plan the traffic for at least a few weeks, as there will be huge traffic bottlenecks after the first two lanes start. I hope they will be there to manage it or know how to take action, as two lanes will not be enough to accommodate the traffic flow," said Mayur Panchal, a resident of Andheri East.

Though work on the first side is in full swing, residents claim that no work has started on the second side of the bridge. "The work of approaching roads on both sides - east and west - is in the primary stage. There is some progress on the railway portion, but the entire force is behind starting span one. Even the girders were not reached by January-end, as claimed by the BMC. It is hard to believe BMC's claim that they will open the full bridge within the next three and a half months," said Dhaval Shah, founder of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association.

The BMC, in its budget estimate 2024-25 book (published on Feb 2), mentioned that the work of approach roads to the Gokhale bridge on the municipal side is only 35 per cent complete, and work on the railway portion is 90 per cent complete. mid-day tried to reach Vivek Kalyankar, head of the bridges department, and Sanjay Kaudhanyapure, deputy municipal commissioner of infrastructure projects but could not get an explanation for the information provided.

In a letter dated February 14 to BMC Commissioner I S Chahal, the residents also pointed out the incomplete work of repairing the Teli Gali flyover on the east side of Andheri and connecting it to the Gokhale bridge to reach the highway. Even the work to link the Barfiwala flyover to the Gokhale bridge hasn't started yet. So, the residents requested the BMC to address all issues like pedestrian access, road resurfacing of connection roads and flyovers, and completion of the second phase before the monsoon.

Feb 25
Day one arm of bridge will be open to public