Mumbai: To ensure that the new avatar of Gokhale bridge is sturdier, the BMC's vigilance department has sent the construction materials, which are being used for the project, for testing at the civic-run lab in Worli. “The samples of cement, gravel, steel and such materials have been sent to the lab to test their quality. The materials are normally expensive and their use can be worthwhile only if quality is of high standards. These tests can also help avoid accidents caused by sub-standard materials,” said a senior civic official.
The fabrication work of the bridge was affected after flooding at the Ambala factory in Haryana last month. While 62 tonnes of spare parts of the girders, which will be installed on the right side of the bridge (north-Borivali side), finally arrived at the site last week, the construction of the left (south-Churchgate side) girder will also start soon at the Ambala factory. The spare parts of the second girder are expected to arrive in February 2024.
Meanwhile, the contractor has commenced the girder assembling work for the bridge. These heavy-duty parts are fabricated structures that will be assembled on-site before their final launch. The girder over the railway portion of the bridge will be launched by September-end. As per the BMC, the two lanes of the bridge will open by November 2023. The crucial east-west connector was closed for vehicular and pedestrian movement from November 2022, after it was declared unsafe.
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