Mumbai: With monsoon on the way, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had written to the Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP) to stop vehicular movement on several bridges, apart from the 29 declared unsafe and closed for repairs. However, traffic police have put this BMC proposal on hold, claiming if all the bridges in the city are closed to vehicles, a connectivity problem will ensue. According to a senior traffic police officer, such a major change in the traffic scenario is certain to result in snarls this monsoon. The traffic police have not just relied on the BMC's engineers but also obtained a second opinion.
Police said, the closure of Delisle Bridge caused traffic to be badly hit on the roads leading to Senapati Bapat Marg, Mahalakshmi station and Worli Naka. Shahaji Umap, deputy commissioner of police (traffic headquarters), said, "The three bridges — Delisle Bridge at Lower Parel, Lakshmi Baug Nullah bridge on the Ghatkopar-Andheri Link road and the crucial Juhu Tara Road bridge, as well as the Sion-Dharavi pedestrian subways were shut by the BMC, for being 'dilapidated'. If the MTP allows other bridges to be shut for repairs, that would only leave a handful of bridges operational in Mumbai."
DCP Umap said that traffic officers are likely to meet Sanjay Darade, chief engineer of BMC's bridges department to discuss what can be done to maintain and keep the bridges operational. A police source said the hush-hush closure and repair of bridges in the city was triggered by the Himalaya Bridge collapse near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on March 14, killing seven people.
Moreover, there was no urgent need to close all the bridges that were earmarked for being shut, said the source. Except for the Santacruz-Chembur and the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Roads, all other bridges are said to be in a bad condition, according to a letter by the BMC's bridges department. "We are hoping to find a way out by suggesting shutting down of heavy vehicular movement on such unsafe bridges, but allowing light motor vehicles like scooters, bikes, cars and taxis to ply on them. Heavy vehicles, exceeding 100 tonnes of weight, can be diverted from the lower roads, while light vehicles can use the bridge," Umap said. This month, the BMC shut the Ghatkopar-Andheri Link Road and the Juhu Tara Road for vehicular movement, which caused traffic woes on both, SV Road and the Western Express Highway.
