Elphinstone Bridge row: ‘We will not allow bridge to be shut’

Sentiments ran high at the site of the Elphinstone bridge also known as Karol bridge on Friday evening as locals staged multiple rasta rokos to protest the planned demolition of the bridge without their rehabilitation demands being addressed The authorities originally planning to shut the bridge at 9 pm were forced to delay the closure until midnight after agitated residents converged on the structure and blocked trafficLocals protesting against the closure of the bridgeWe are protesting because once they shut the bridge 19 buildingsmdashincluding oursmdashwill be at stakerdquo said local resident Sriram Pawar ldquoThey plan to demolish these buildings for the doubledecker bridge foundation but wersquore only being offered a few lakhs as compensationrdquoResidents continue protests at Elphinstone Bridge site demanding written assurances from MMRDA A sitin protest has begun with locals saying no demolition until demands are met Credits iamATULKAMBLE rajtoday ElphinstoneBridge MumbaiProtest MMRDA pictwittercomN4SpMHxZbimdash Mid Day mid_day April 25 2025ldquoThe pillars of the new bridge are going to pass through our buildings and our houses are going to be demolished This is absolutely unfairrdquo Pawar added Another resident Sonal Mayekar added ldquoWe want compensation at market rates based on the ready reckoner Wersquove been duped by the government Wersquore not against the project just the way its being forced on usrdquoPallavi Padia another local claimed ldquoWersquove lived here for generations Now MHADA is suddenly sending us notices saying our buildings are dilapidatedmdashjust a trick to evict us Wersquore not movingrdquoAuthorities bring in the barricades for road closureldquoI use the bridge daily to commute to work It takes just 1015 minutes now But after the bridge shuts and looking at the traffic it will take at least 4550 minutes to get home From Monday I will have to spare two hours a day instead of just 30 minutesrdquo Yash Thakur 25 an Elphinstone resident who uses the bridge to reach his office in Lower ParelAlternate routesWith the bridge closed alternate eastwest routes such as the Currey Road Bridge the Delisle Road Bridge at Lower Parel and the Tilak Bridge at Dadar have started facing congestion The situation is expected to worsen from Monday the first working day postclosureProgressive shutdown beginsBarricading of the Elphinstone Bridge began at 6 pm in phasesmdashfirst private vehicles were diverted followed by ambulances then public transport and twowheelers The closure will severely impact access to nearby hospitals including KEM Wadia and Tata MemorialLocals stop the JCB brought by the authorities for demolition PicsAtul KambleReconstructionThe demolition will be phased The MMRDA will dismantle the nonrailway portion while the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited MahaRail or MRIDC will handle the railway section While MMRDA has shared its dismantling plan MRIDC admitted they have not yet finalised the railway demolition blueprintCalls for alternate roadResidents have revived demands for an earlierplanned DP Road that would connect Hindmata in Dadar East to Pramod Mahajan Garden in Dadar West ldquoThe 700ndash800m long road could decongest Hindmata Junction Dadar TT and Senapati Bapat Marg offering a vital link for emergency servicesrdquo said Chetan Kamble of the ChakaChak Dadar groupProtesting residents pull down the bridge closure banner put up by the authorities PicAtul KambleRailways not readyIn a surprising admission MahaRail stated they are yet to finalise a demolition plan in consultation with zonal railways despite the bridge closure beginning Friday nightFoot overbridge missingWhile traffic plans are in place a key foot overbridge between Parel and Prabhadevi remains incomplete As reported by midday earlier this month the footbridge ends midair and hampers pedestrian movement A site visit on Friday confirmed that work is still ongoingKey demolition detailsgtgt The entire dismantling process is scheduled till July 10 2025gtgt Approaches excluding the railway section will be demolished by May 30 2025gtgt An 800metrictonne capacity crane with a 500tonne standby will lift steel girdersgtgt Required 2 Poclain210 machines 10 dumpersDebrisgtgt 16316 cubic metres approachgtgt 900metrictonnes steel girdersThe bridge will be replaced by a doubledeck structure the lower deck for eastwest traffic and the upper deck connecting to the Atal Setu SewriNhava Sheva A 45km elevated road will link Atal Setu to Worli and further toward south Mumbai and BandraatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params