04 December,2023 10:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The girder was successfully installed
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday said that the Gokhale Bridge's girder installation for the first phase has been successfully completed, marking a major advancement in the construction of the project in Mumbai.
The completion of the crucial phase was achieved with efficiency and the dedication and technical expertise of the project team, it said.
The BMC said, on December 3, 2023, at midnight, the girder installation for the first phase reached its target, covering 75 percent of the planned distance. Following the accomplishment, the remaining 25 percent of girder installation was completed on December 4, 2023, midnight.
It said that the work involved placing girders above both piers, requiring strict accuracy and adherence to the project timeline.
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The upcoming phase of the project is set to move the girder north by 14 meters and then lower it by 7.5 meters in the next fortnight. The task will be executed with special power and traffic blocks provided by the Western Railway. During this period, portions of the girder will be brought down from a specific height in both directions, a process requiring careful coordination and precision, the civic body said.
The Western Railway has sanctioned an 11-day block period for the lowering of the bridge, allowing for an average reduction of 550 mm in three hours during the nighttime. The guidance of consultancy firm Wrights has been instrumental in the successful execution of tasks such as launching the 1300-tonne girder of the Gokhale Bridge, sliding the girder northward, and lowering it by 7.5 meters.
Once the girders are in place, the next steps involve laying bars on them, concretising with cement, and completing the mastication of the bridge after the curing process. The construction of the approach road, handled by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has made significant progress, completing almost 80 percent of the work, it said.
The Western Railway had on Friday said that some Mumbai local trains and long distance trains will remain affected due to the launching of first open web girder of Gokhale Bridge in Andheri.
The Western Railway has earlier said that in connection with the launching of 1st Open Web Girder (OWG) of Gokhale Road Over Bridge (ROB) between Vile Parle and Andheri stations, a major block will be taken on all lines from 00.45 hrs to 04.45 hrs on the intervening night of 2nd/3rd December 2023.
