Mumbai: The BMC has entrusted the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MahaRail), with the reconstruction of 10 dilapidated British-era rail over bridges (ROB). The civic body recently took a review of reconstruction work of Reay road, Byculla, Tilak and Ghatkopar Bridge. Accordingly, the Reay road bridge is expected to be ready by November, while Byculla Bridge will be completed by October 2025. Meanwhile, a preliminary study has been undertaken for the other three bridges- Currey road, Mahalaxmi and Matunga, that will be reconstructed, said a civic official.
The joint meeting held under the chairmanship of additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar was attended by chief engineer (bridges) Vivek Kalyankar, Managing Director - business development and finance (Maharail) Subhash Kawade, General manager-planning, Maharail - Jitendra Kumar and other officials. Bangar directed the officials to complete the reconstruction work of the bridge on scheduled time. The BMC provides funds for the project and the reconstruction work is carried out by Maharail. The project is part of a larger initiative to upgrade the city's transportation infrastructure and alleviate traffic congestion.
As per the officials, currently only 8% of work on Tilak Bridge while 14% of Ghatkopar Bridge has been completed till now. The life spans of three bridges - Arthur road bridge at Chinchpokli, S bridge of Byculla and Olivant Bridge at Mazgaon has been increased as they have been strengthened and may not need to be demolished and rebuilt immediately. "The Central railway's letter dated April 24 this year says that Arthur road bridge, S bridge and Olivant bridge are in good condition and do not require reconstruction. A review of the reconstruction of the said bridges will be done by the Railways after 10 to 15 years. So, currently no reconstruction work will be undertaken on these three bridges," said a senior official.
Reay Road - 77 % work on a vital east-west connector has been completed. Currently, the girder launching and superstructure work are in progress. The bridge is expected to be open for traffic by November 2024. It will have six lanes with footpaths for pedestrians and smooth traffic. The bridge will allow traffic movement through the underpass of Barrister Nath Pai Road and also maintain the required vertical clearance for passing of vehicles under the Eastern Freeway as per Indian Roads Congress (IRC) standards. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 145 crore.
Byculla ROB - The construction of this cable-stayed bridge, which began on December 22, 2021, is approximately 42 % complete, and is expected to be finished by the target date of July 31, 2024. The project is estimated to cost Rs287 crores.
Tilak Bridge - The bridge was constructed in 1925. The new bridge will be constructed using a cable-based structure. 8% of the work has been completed till now.
Ghatkopar Bridge - The 45-year-old road overbridge in Ghatkopar was declared dangerous during a structural audit of all bridges in Mumbai by the BMC after the collapse of the Gokhale bridge in Andheri in 2018 that killed two people. The new cable-stayed ROB will decongest the traffic in Ghatkopar and provide a smooth journey for commuters travelling on Ghatkopar-Andheri Link Road. The bridge will connect Ghatkopar East Eastern Express Highway to Ghatkopar West LBS Marg Ghatkopar Andheri Link Road. Currently, about 14% of the work has been completed.
