Mumbai: Cable-stayed ROB at Reay Road to be ready by May

An artist’s impression of the completed bridge

The swanky six-lane cable-stayed bridge at Reay Road will be the first to be completed among the new cable-stayed ones coming up in the city, with the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MahaRail) announcing on Friday that 70 per cent of its work had been completed. Authorities said the bridge would be ready by May 2024.

"So far, about 70 per cent of the construction work for the cable-stayed road overbridge (ROB) at Reay Road is completed. MahaRail shall complete the construction by May 2024 if the right of way is cleared. The construction work started on February 14, 2022," a MahaRail spokesperson said.

mid-day reported in January 2024 on how work on the Reay Road and Byculla bridges was in full swing.

"The BMC has entrusted MahaRail to reconstruct dilapidated British-era ROBs in Mumbai and its suburbs. Considering the tremendous road traffic in Mumbai, in most cases, the rail agency has planned to build new cable-stayed bridges adjacent to existing ones, after which the existing bridges will be demolished," the spokesperson said.

According to the spokesperson, plans were chalked out in a way that would cause minimum hindrance to traffic and pedestrian movement. "MahaRail has started construction of cable-stayed ROBs at Reay Road, Byculla and near the Dadar Tilak Bridge and plans to complete the work of these bridges in less than two years," he said.

Built at a cost of Rs 145 crore

Giving details of the bridge at Read Road, he said that all foundation work of the 385-metre-long bridge with two ramps had been completed and girder launching and superstructure work is currently in progress. Asked about how many structures need to be re-located in total, he said the railway ticket counter structure, 130 hutments and 15 galvanised iron (GI) sheet sheds of shops need to be moved. "Of these, relocation of the ticket counter structure and 15 GI sheds remains. The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and Central Railway are responsible for their relocation," the spokesperson said.

Salient features

The bridge structure will allow traffic movement through the underpass of Barrister Nath Pai Road and also maintain the required vertical clearance for vehicles passing on the eastern freeway below, as per Indian Roads Congress standards. Besides this, the new cable-stayed ROB will add to the aesthetic appeal.

MahaRail has also designed LED lighting systems for the bridge to enhance its aesthetic appeal while a bridge health monitoring system will improve safety parameters.