BMC makes a habit of delaying bridge work

After interrupting Gokhale work over non-payment, civic administration is holding on to a proposal for inviting tenders to extend Vidyavihar connector

The civic administration, which had earlier delayed the progress of Gokhale bridge by not approving a payment proposal, has slowed down work on another crucial connector. It has been a month since the Bridges Department sought its nod to invite tenders for extension of Vidyavihar bridge, but the BMC is yet to respond.

Originally, the Vidyavihar east-west connector was to be 400-metre long, however, the Bridges Department decided to extend the length. “There is a BEST bus depot near Kirol village in Vidyavihar West along with some other structures and road blockages. As we could not land the bridge here, we decided to extend its length,” said an official from the Bridges Department.

“We submitted a proposal last month, seeking permission to invite a tender for the extension of the bridge. But, we are yet to get approval from the accounting department. The cost of the tender is Rs 70.93 crore,” the official added.

Also read: Gokhale bridge closure: Hawkers tamed

Delayed once

According to reports, the project was commissioned in March 2018 and was expected to be completed before 2022. Explaining the reason for the delay, the official said, “The plan for the bridge was prepared in 2016. The railways also approved the plan, as the bridge is passing over rail tracks. Thereafter, the Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) of the Ministry of Railways upgraded the standard of the bridge. Therefore, the design in the rail area had to be changed and permission was taken from the 

Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velrasu did not respond to messages for comment.

Project cost escalates

The initial cost of the project—for a 400-metre bridge and girder of 99 metre—was Rs 99.98 crore. The cost escalated to Rs 108 crore after the railways made the changes in 2018.

Now, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to increase the bridge’s length to 613 metres and the girder to 120. This has escalated the estimated cost of the project to Rs 178.93 crore. 

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