Mumbai: Now, eastern suburbs stare at bridge mess!

The east-west connector at Ghatkopar, which is to be demolished. Pics/Sameer Markande

The eastern suburbs have a bridge crisis and the BMC is in a race against time. The Railways is soon planning to demolish the dilapidated Ghatkopar east-west bridge, which is 45 years old, but the next best option for commuters looking to cross sides - Vikhroli road bridge - is only 40 per cent complete. The civic body must now build the Vikhroli bridge before the Ghatkopar one is pulled down.

According to the BMC plans, the former will be completed by May 2023 but only its pillars have been erected. The length and width of the bridge are 656 metres and 50 metres respectively.

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The pillars of the yet-to-be-completed bridge at Vikhroli on Sunday

Dr Yogesh Bhalerao, a Vikhroli East resident, said the construction of the bridge was started in 2018. "During the pandemic, the BMC could have constructed it at a fast pace. However, the authorities did nothing. In the past four years, only 40 per cent work has been completed. How will they complete the remaining work in the next six months," he asked. The Ghatkopar structure is dilapidated and on the MRIDC's list of bridges to be rebuilt.

"If the Ghatkopar bridge is closed before completing the Vikhroli bridge, there will be traffic jams in the eastern suburbs. Motorists will get only the option of the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, which is always packed with traffic," said Dr Bhalerao. "The authorities should coordinate before taking a final decision," he added.

"If the Ghatkopar bridge is demolished before the Vikhroli bridge is constructed, there will be a repeat of the chaos in Andheri due to the closure of Gokhale bridge," said Ghatkopar resident Prince Jain. There is a bridge on Mahatma Gandhi Road to travel from Ghatkopar east to west. But it is a single-lane bridge and it always sees traffic jams," he added.

Delay and cost escalation

As per the schedule, the Vikhroli bridge was to be completed by 2020. According to a proposal that was submitted by the civic administration in the standing committee meeting in February 2022, it will be completed in May 2023. Also, the cost of the project has grown from Rs 45.77 crore to Rs 88.45 crore. Official claims land acquisitions and changes in the design of the girder of the bridge had been done.

The east-west connector at Ghatkopar which is to be demolished

A Central Railway official, meanwhile, confirmed that the Ghatkopar bridge was going to be demolished soon. He said, "There is a process for that, which includes getting permissions from the traffic police and keeping other traffic regulations in place since there is heavy traffic on the bridge." Ulhas Mahale, deputy municipal commissioner, said, "We will seek an update about the status of Vikhroli bridge."