Mumbai: Borivali East-WEH bridge likely to be ready by December

The bridge connects three neighbourhoods in Borivli East to the WEH

The bridge at Shri Krishna Nagar in Borivli East could be fully operational by the year end, said sources. The BMC has received the approval of the forest department and now awaits the final go-ahead from Mantralaya. Even if it comes soon, the work will start only post monsoon, i.e. after October.

The 22-metre-wide bridge, over Dahisar river, was closed in 2021 after a portion of it collapsed. The BMC completed the reconstruction of half of the bridge and opened it in March this year. For the remaining part, the civic body needed the forest department's permission, as the bridge crosses the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

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"We had appointed a special consultant just to take permission from the forest department. A proposal was sent to the Mumbai office of the forest department over a year ago and the permission was granted in March. The main office in Nagpur approved it within 12 days (in April) and now the proposal is in Mantralaya. The quantum of the project is small and may not require authorisation from the Centre," said a civic official.

An official from the Bridges department said, "Around 15 per cent of the bridge falls in the forest land. We are trying to complete other work before the monsoon. Even if the permission is granted before June, the portion over the river cannot be built during the rains. The bridge may be completed by December."

The 41.5-metre-long bridge connects Borivli East's three neighbourhoods - Shri Krishna Nagar, Abhinav Nagar and Shantivan - to the Western Express Highway. At present, two of the four lanes of the bridge are operational.