Mumbai: Solution to Gokhale connector issue this week

BMC says work will be completed by May-end. File pic/Nimesh Dave

Experts of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) visited the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge on Sunday. This week, experts from both institutes will have a joint meeting and discuss a solution to connecting the structure to the Barfiwala connector.

There is a height difference between the new Gokhale bridge and the connector in Andheri West, which is 2.83 metres. Gokhale Bridge is over the Barfiwala connector which crosses S V Road and connects Juhu Gully without any signal. The BMC has appointed VJTI and IIT-B to give solutions to connect both bridges. Recently VJTI submitted a report stating there is no need to demolish the Barfiwala connector, as the bridge can connect the last four spans which shall be suitably lifted. The pedestals shall be raised and re-cast to match the profile of the lifted spans.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhjeet Bangar said, "We have consulted with IIT experts also. Both institutes' experts visited the spot on Sunday. They will discuss solutions this week." He added that he will also personally meet experts and hold discussions.

One arm of the Gokhale bridge opened for traffic on February 26. Currently, traffic is allowed in both directions on the bridge. According to BMC officials, the full project will be completed by May-end.

Part of the bridge collapsed in 2018. After two years in 2020, BMC issued an order to construct an approach way to the bridge. As per records, the work of approaches was supposed to be completed by April 2022, but it got delayed due to the pandemic and various technical reasons. The bridge was fully closed to traffic on November 7, 2023. Initially, the BMC was only going to construct access roads within the city limits. After the bridge was closed, it was decided to reconstruct the full bridge.