The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will start reconstructing the 154-year-old, British-era Carnac Bunder Bridge in November. The civic body has undertaken a drive which has already begun to clear a few structures and shanties so it can safely demolish the existing bridge.
Heavy vehicular traffic has been stopped on the bridge, situated between CSMT and Masjid Road stations, since November 2013, as its steel structure was corroded. In 2018 IIT-Bombay held a safety audit and recommended that the bridge be closed and rebuilt. The railways have carried out urgent safety repairs so that the bridge remains safe till it is dismantled.
The BMC has awarded the contract for reconstruction and the agency is ready to start immediately once the bridge is dismantled. P Velarasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said the fabrication work is already on.
Before the structure is pulled down, “the BMC’s solid waste management posts, two pay-and-use toilets, a BEST substation and a temple will be demolished”, a civic official from Ward B said. “The temple will be moved to another place. The BMC posts are in the process of being relocated. We will clear all structures during a three-day drive starting August 22,” the official said.
Once the bridge is pulled down, 50 per cent of the traffic will be redirected to Yusuf Meher Ali Road at Masjid Bunder. Before that the civic body will also clear 27 shanties on the footpath towards Dana Bunder. The eligible shanties have been given alternate accommodation in Chembur.
The BMC has also started a drive against hawkers so that people coming out of Masjid Bunder Station can use the footpath.
The reconstruction of the bridge is expected to be completed by May 2024. The project is estimated to cost Rs41.27 crore.
