Mumbai: After much wait, the northern arms of both the C.D. Barfiwala flyover and Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge are set to open for traffic on July 1. The work of lifting and aligning both flyovers has been completed. At present, work on concrete and curing is underway which is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
The BMC is rectifying its blunder of the six-feet gap between both the structures, which has caused inconvenience to the citizens. "The lifting and aligning the segment of the Barfiwala Flyover to the level of Gokhale bridge was carried out by using hydraulic jacks and MS stool packing. The challenging task was successfully completed by our team,” said a senior civic official.
The segment of the Barfiwala Flyover was lifted 1,397 millimeters on one side and 650 millimeters on the other to align with the Gokhale Bridge. The work of concrete curing is now carried out to ensure both flyovers can open to traffic on July 1.
"After the concrete work that was required for connecting both flyovers was completed. A rain-free period of six consecutive hours was crucial. Fortunately, there was no rainfall for over 12 hours in the area, allowing the concreting and stitching work to proceed without interruption. The curing process will take 14 days," said a civic official.
High-quality concrete is being used to expedite the work. After this, a load test will be conducted on the bridge within 24 hours. The joint work on the flyovers is expected to be completed soon. Meanwhile, the deadline to complete work on the southern arm has been deferred to November 15. So, the entire Gokhale Bridge, a key east-west connector in Andheri, will now likely open for traffic by March 31, 2025.
