The BMC has finally received permission from the forest department for the work on the remaining part of the ShriKrishna Nagar bridge that crosses the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The bridge, which spans the Dahisar River, was expected to be fully operational by December 2023. However, only half of the bridge was reconstructed and thrown open last year.
Details of the bridge
The 22-metre-wide bridge connects Shri Krishna Nagar, Abhinav Nagar, and Shantivan in Borivali East to the Western Express highway. It was closed when a part of the bridge collapsed and thereafter declared as dilapidated in 2021. Only the part not on forest land was reconstructed and opened in March 2023. For the construction of an extended part of the bridge that lands in the SNGP, the BMC had to wait for the forest department’s NOC.
“Only 15% of the bridge is on forest land and does not affect the wildlife. However, for the transfer of the land from the forest department, we needed their NOC. Permission was granted from the forest department in March last year. The proposal was then forwarded to the forest department headquarters in Nagpur and later for approval from the government. Since we have got the requisite permission, the remaining work on the bridge will be started immediately,” said a civic official.
The civic official said that they will try to complete the remaining work of the bridge before the arrival of the monsoon. At present, only two of the four lanes of the bridge are operational.
