Mumbai: On the wake of the closure announcement of the dilapidated Gokhale bridge, the traffic police listed the diversions for the traffic on Friday, which include the Andheri subway and the Parle bridge.
The department declared that the Andheri bridge will be closed down Monday onwards until further notice.
Entire bridge to be demolished
Four years ago, in 2018, a part of the bridge collapsed which shut down the bridge partially. The BMC, in its latest development, announced that the entire bridge will be demolished as it is rendered dangerous according to the structural audit report. Ulhas Mahale, Deputy municipal commissioner (infrastructure) said, "We are aware that closing of the crucial Gokhale bridge will create a traffic chaos in Andheri. But since it is unsafe, we can't take a chance of risking human lives. So we had requested the traffic police to close it by immediate effect".
Following which the traffic department set up a team to identify the possible routes which can be used as diversions for the traffic amid the demolition and reconstruction of the bridge. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Nitin Pawar, the Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge will be closed down from both sides for pedestrians and vehicles of all types until further order.
The alternate diversion routes by the traffic department are Khar Subway, Milan Subway flyover Bridge, Santacruz, Captain Gore flyover Bridge (Parle Bridge), Vileparle, Andheri Subway, Andheri, Balasaheb Thackrey flyover Bridge, Jogeshwari, and Mrunaltai Gore flyover Bridge, Goregaon.
Switch to alternate routes began early on
Since the time the partial bridge was closed down due to the collapse four years ago, the traffic flow has seen a dip compared to previous years as most of the commuters preferred alternate routes besides the bridge, said an official.
According to a daily commuter, Vikrant Shah, “After the bridge collapsed partially, I have always avoided that bridge. I prefer using the Andheri or Milan subway because the bridge looks almost half dead to me which is waiting for another incident to occur.”
Alternate Andheri route to get worse in monsoon
The Andheri subway is a chronic spot for waterlogging every year during the monsoon and faces a shut down even after an hour of moderate rainfall, according to reports. Pointing out at the inconvenience, Ajit Dighe, founder of Amhi Andherikar said, "The bridge should not be closed before providing a better alternate route and the work should also be completed in time. Since Gokhale bridge is only east - west connector, we have been facing inconvenience for the past four years. The situation becomes even more worse during monsoon since the Andheri subway gets shut frequently during heavy rains. We only expect the agencies to at least speed up the work now."
Amit Desai, marketing manager with a private firm and regular commuter complaints, "If the BMC now declares the bridge unsafe and will be closing it, then what they were doing for the past four years. This shows the lack of planning and lethargy of the agencies.
Local MLA questions bridge safety
Ameet Satam, MLA from Andheri said, "The existing Gokhale bridge is in dangerous condition and unsafe. So to avoid any mishap it should be immediately closed down. Work was to commence in March 2020, Railways told BMC in July 2021 to do work in the railway portion. Why did BMC sit on the project? BMC was busy in 'Vazegiri' during covid."
"The design for the work of the railway portion will be sent to IIT and final approval from railways will be taken. Instructions have been issued to fast track it. Tenders can be floated by the middle of December and work can be completed in 18 months," he tweeted.
BEST buses remain unaffected
When asked about buses and other heavy vehicle diversion, a BEST official said that the bridge has remained closed for heavy vehicles since more than 2 years after the initial portion of the bridge collapsed. So no buses have been in operation since then.
