Mumbai's first skywalk at Bandra East to be rebuilt soon

The skywalk was closed in 2019 after being declared dilapidated. File pic

Construction of the city's first skywalk at Bandra East is set to begin soon. But the reconstructed skywalk will only be part of the original, as only one arm, from Bandra station to Bandra court is to be built.

The skywalk was closed in 2019 after being declared dilapidated. The cost of its demolition and reconstruction work is pegged at almost Rs 19 crore and the work is expected to be completed within 18 months. The project cost includes demolition of the entire bridge and reconstruction of one arm.

The skywalk was 1.3-kilometre long with one arm going to Kalanagar via a circuitous route, and another going to the Bandra court via Anant Kanekar Marg (station road).

The BMC-appointed The Veermata Jijabai Technical Institute to prepare an audit report of the skywalk after shutting it. On January 20, 2020, VJTI submitted a structural audit report, stating the bridge needed major repairs. The civic administration, however, decided to rebuild part of it because reconstructing the entire skywalk would cost Rs 50 crore while the route to Bandra court had the highest footfall.

"The repairs would have cost around R7 crore and would not have increased the life of the skywalk significantly. But rebuilding one route would cost around Rs 15 crore and give it life of at least 40 years," said a BMC official.

As per the proposal sent to the standing committee, the tenders for reconstruction were invited in September 2021. The cost of the project is Rs 18.70 crore and the contract period is 18 months including the monsoon.

2008
when the Bandra East skywalk was constructed