Mumbai: MLA Ameet Satam Reviews Andheri's Gokhale Bridge Progress; May 2025 Opening Expected After Delays

Mumbai: On Friday, local MLA Ameet Satam, along with civic officials and contractors, conducted a review of Andheri's Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge. Currently, the work is focused on the approach road and pillar erection on this critical east-west connector.

However, the bridge is now expected to be open for traffic in May, a slight delay from the earlier commitment to open it by the end of April. The deadline for completion of the bridge has extended several times in the last two years.

The lowering of the second girder at Gokhale Bridge was completed on December 26, following the successful launch of the southern girder in September. While the work was initially slated to be finished by the end of November, it was delayed by over a month.

This setback impacted the completion of the railway portion of the bridge, which was originally expected to be ready by December 31. The repeated deadline extensions have led to growing frustration among local residents and commuters, who have been facing inconvenience due to the delays.

Following a joint visit by the local MLA and civic officials, Satam provided an update on the ongoing work at the bridge. He reported that on the east side, all four foundations and piers have been completed, with one of the four girders successfully landed.

On the west side, all five foundations and piers are finished, and two out of the three girders have been installed. "Work has been carried out on a war footing, and we are on track to open the bridge for traffic in May," said Satam.

A senior official said, "We had already warned the contractor that a Rs. 3 crore fine would be imposed if the work wasn't completed by November 15. Given the continued delays, the fine will now be recalculated based on the additional days of delay, with further penalties imposed accordingly."

The bridge was declared dilapidated and closed in November 2022. The BMC initially aimed to open two lanes for traffic after launching the first girder by May 2023, but the project was delayed by 10 months. The first half of the bridge finally became operational on February 26, 2024.