Mumbai: Gokhale bridge to come up in 2 phases

The Gokhale bridge in Andheri was shut from Sunday. Pic/Nimesh Dave

The portion of the Gokhale Road bridge over the railway lines in Andheri will be built in two phases. In the first stage, the north-end carriageway (Virar-side) will be rebuilt, while the south carriageway (Dadar-side) will be reconstructed in the second stage. The matter was extensively discussed between railway and BMC engineers at a meeting in June. The Western Railway on Tuesday requested the BMC to submit the required drawings to expedite the next course of action.

As per the minutes of the BMC-railways meeting exclusively accessed by mid-day from WR's Mumbai division, the seven-point discussion covered every aspect of dismantling and reconstruction of the bridge.

The BMC was to submit the general arrangement drawing of the complete road overbridge, including the railway portion. The dismantling scheme was also to be submitted by BMC consultants to railway authorities.

The BMC will dismantle the existing steel columns of piers after launching the girder as these supports will be utilized during the launching of the new span. After the commissioning of the north carriageway with the new span, the BMC will be taking up the work of the south carriageway. Western Railway has agreed to provide necessary support and train service blocks during the reconstruction of the bridge.

The Gokhale bridge was first partially shut down in 2018 after a footpath on it collapsed on a running train, killing two persons. The bridge was opened in 2019 after giving additional support to the existing part of the approach road. However, a consultancy firm hired by the BMC to inspect the overpasses in the city every six months declared in September 2022 that the Gokhale bridge had become dangerously unsafe. This prompted the civic body to close the bridge.