With a public toilet removed, work on dismantling the structure’s floor slab accelerates; permissions secured for tree pruning; sources said that encroachers were staying on the top of the toilet creating problems, but all the issues have now been sorted out
Demolished public toilet beside the under-construction Sion bridge. Pics/Anurag Ahire
The public toilet stopping the demolition of Sion bridge has finally been pulled down. Work of removing the floor slab of the bridge has also started expediting the dismantling process of the bridge. The permissions for pruning the blocking trees are also already in place.
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mid-day had highlighted a few weeks ago how six months after shutting down the Sion bridge in August 2024, four trees and a toilet block were blocking the demolition process. Sources said that encroachers were staying on the top of the toilet creating problems, but all the issues have now been sorted out, and the power connection to the structure has been removed and the toilet block pulled down.
The under-construction bridge
The demolition of the base is also being carried out in parts without disturbing the rail traffic below. Before removing the structure, either side of the railway track will be strongly barricaded with a retaining structure so that there are no infringements on the track. The new bridge will be ready in 30 months after the demolition work is complete. The estimated cost of building the replacement, as well as the approach road, is around Rs 50 crore, shared between the BMC and the Railways.
The 110-year-old bridge that connects the Eastern express highway to the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Road and Dharavi Road had been declared dangerous a few years ago. The IIT bridge audit report of Sion Road Bridge had sounded an alert about the dilapidated condition of the bridge as early as 2020, stating that keeping it hanging over running rail lines was extremely dangerous as its lifespan has expired.
Central Railway (CR) and the BMC will be jointly reconstructing the bridge and, with no spans below the railway area, creating space for two more rail lines, which will be a part of the fifth and sixth lines. The length of the bridge over the railway portion will be increased from 40 to 51 metres.
For laying the new lines, the existing Sion railway station is being shifted a bit westward to accommodate new rail lines and platforms. While a new rail platform will come just abutting LBS Road, the existing platform on which the old heritage hut stands will be converted into an island platform with trains operating on either side.
CR officials said power cables will be removed in the next few days and some land required to build a foot overbridge for locals there. The land has been leased out by the BMC and the issue is being resolved.
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