BMC now races to clear all alternative routes

Heavy traffic is seen on SV Road as motorists try to reach Captain Vinayak Gore flyover in the wake of the closure of Gokhale bridge, on Monday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Amid a deluge of complaints from road users about heavy congestion on the alternative routes following the closure of the Gokhale bridge in Andheri, top BMC officials visited the areas on Wednesday and asked the civic staff to remove illegal parking and unauthorised hawkers that block vehicular movement. The closure of the Gokhale bridge, a key east-west connector has triggered traffic mayhem during morning and evening rush hours.

The important bridge became out of bounds for motorists from Sunday night. On Monday, mid-day visited two alternative routes in Andheri and Vile Parle to witness the plight of road users, many of whom complained about obstacles and illegal parking.

Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velrasu and a team of senior BMC officials visited the alternative routes. On SV Road in Andheri West, they also came across a lot of space taken up by barricades put up by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority or MMRDA for Metro and other infrastructure projects. Velrasu asked his staff to speak to MMRDA and explore the possibility of reducing the size of the barricades.

Also read: Mumbai: Andheri's arterial blockages removed

A tempo (in red) is illegally parked on the New Nagardas Road that leads to the Andheri subway, on Monday

After facing a public outcry for poor planning over the Gokhale bridge project, the BMC is trying to fast-track the work.

"IIT has agreed to finalize the design within a week. As soon as the concept is received with final approval, further administrative action will be taken up immediately through the Bridge Department of BMC," said the additional municipal commissioner.

IIT-Bombay had earlier given a 15-day time frame to vet the bridge's drawings.

He said he has asked BMC officials to rid the alternative routes of illegally parked vehicles and roadside vendors within two days.

Another civic official told mid-day, "BMC has deputed around 200 people to help the police with traffic management on these roads."

Bridge to be ready in Sept

Official said the Gokhale bridge will be reconstructed in two phases. "The first phase of two lanes will be completed in May 2023. The second phase of another two lanes will be completed in September 2023," said a civic official.

Sept 2023
When new Gokhale bridge is expected to be ready