Mumbai: A major gaffe in a crucial infrastructural project in Mumbai that was lauded as an “engineering marvel” has now turned into a blame game between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Railways.
On Monday, the BMC threw open the partially completed Gokhale Bridge in Andheri to the public. A crucial connector between the north and south parts of the busy western suburb, the bridge had been closed for renovation for 15 months until then.
Soon after the bridge opened, it began to draw criticism, not only from the opposition but also from harried commuters, over a six-foot-long gap between it and CD Barfiwala Bridge — the flyover it was meant to connect to and which directs traffic to other post suburbs of the city such as Juhu.
An official of the BMC, which had claimed that the bridge was built over the country’s busiest railway tracks, denied allegations of misalignment, saying that the height of the bridge over the railway track had to be increased by 1.5-2 m to meet Railways’ specification.
“The Railways rule was always there but the bridge was to be constructed in phases. We could not have taken the entire construction in one go; that would have caused inconvenience to people and traffic,” the BMC official said.
“We had already conveyed it to the BMC. It was constructed by the BMC, and, according to them, the drawings submitted were approved by the railways early on. The entire design and construction was done by the BMC,” the official told ThePrint.
At the inauguration of the bridge Monday, BMC commissioner and administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal said that “reputed institutions such as VJTI and IIT” have been asked to look into the issue. “If needed, we may also consider placing a ramp to allow smooth flow of traffic from the Barfiwala flyover to Gokhale,” he said, adding that these institutions have been asked to submit a report in 15 days.
An important part of the suburbs, the Barfiwala flyover connects areas like Juhu directly to Gokhale Bridge, allowing vehicles to bypass the congested SV Road, which connects Bandra to the western suburbs.
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Gokhale bridge timeline
The Gokhale Bridge has been mired in controversies in the last few years. In 2018, a part of the bridge collapsed during monsoon, killing five people. The bridge had to be shut down in November 2022 after a structural audit.
It was demolished in December 2022 and a work order for building the new bridge was issued in January 2023, a BMC press release says.
At 90 m long, it is one of the longest Road Over Bridges (ROBs) in Mumbai. However, work on the bridge is still incomplete. “We are working on the second phase and all these works will be completed in that. Process for issuing tender is on,” the BMC official said.
The civic body hopes to complete the remaining work by December 2024.
However, Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray blamed the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government for the project inadequacies, saying that the height difference was a result of a corrupt regime.
“Shocking what the@mybmc under the BJP sponsored khoke sarkar and the corrupt administrator has fallen to. Yes truly first in India, probably the world that the 2 bridges that were to be joined have a difference of 6 ft in height between the 2! (sic),” Thackeray said on X.
Meanwhile, Mumbai-based activist Zoru Bhatena has slammed the authorities for its flawed design.
“What is there to celebrate? It is a joke. From day 1, the design was flawed. So instead of giving excuses, the BMC should correct it. We are happy that the bridge is partially open but it is a matter of shame not pride that it has flaws,” Bhatena told ThePrint.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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