Mumbai: Parel bridge rebuilding to be put off?

In a bid to reduce inconvenience to motorists, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is considering starting the reconstruction of the Parel TT bridge along with work of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector (SWEC) in the area, which is a project by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) Mumbai Regional Planning Authority. Although the traffic police have allowed the Parel bridge to be closed to traffic, the BMC is not going to shut it immediately.

Last week, the Mumbai traffic police approved the closing of the Parel TT (Madkebua Chowk) bridge and Sion rail overbridge to carry out their reconstruction. However, the civic body is not planning to start work on the latter in a hurry. "We are thinking of starting the Parel bridge reconstruction work when the SWEC work in the area is being carried out. If we start the reconstruction and complete it simultaneously with the MMRDA project, it will help reduce traffic congestion during the work," said an official from the BMC's bridges department, who is working on the project.

The traffic police recently approved closing of the Parel TT bridge. Pic/Ashish Raje

According to the official, if the work on the Parel bridge is started now it would create traffic congestion in the area, and when the SWEC work begins, there will be congestion in the area again. "We are thinking of starting reconstruction with the connector work as it will help reduce further congestion," the official said, adding that a final decision in this regard will be taken only after discussions with senior officials.

As for the Sion rail overbridge, which was also allowed to be closed by the traffic police, the BMC official said that it is a project of the Central Railway authority, which would decide when the project work will commence. "We are not aware of the date of closing the bridge," the official said.

The reconstruction of the Parel TT bridge on Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road will take six months. It will cost around R17 crore. The bridge is more than 40 years old. "Its expansion joints are damaged and need immediate reconstruction," said an official. There are 44 joints in the bridge, but after repair, these will be reduced to just three joints. "These 44 joints give a jerk to the vehicles. The reconstruction will be done as per today's standards and hence the joints will be reduced," the official said. Reducing the number of expansion joints will also result in a smooth riding experience.

The Sion rail overbridge connects the eastern parts to LBS Road and Dharavi. Pic/Atul Kamble

The bridge is 300 metres long, and BMC going to construct a 60-metre-long solid ramp on the bridge. "This would help keep 60 metres of road under the section open for traffic," the official added. The BMC had stopped heavy vehicle movement on the bridge since June 2023.

CR quick to act

Meanwhile, the Central Railway (CR) has decided to pull down the 110-year-old Sion rail overbridge which connected the Eastern parts of the city to Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Road and Dharavi. The Sion bridge is to be reconstructed over the 5th and 6th railway lines. Currently, the bridge over the railway portion is around 40 metres long. This would be increased to 51 metres. According to reports, the bridge is on two spans and one of its pillars is on the railway portion. The new bridge will be on a single span and won't have a pillar along the railway lines. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 50 crore.

Rs 17cr
Approx cost of reconstruction

6 months
Approx time to reconstruct bridge