Mumbai: Delisle Road bridge footpath work begins

The vehicles plying on the Delisle Road bridge. File pic

Finally, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started work on the footpaths of the Delisle Road bridge located at Lower Parel. The bridge was opened for traffic in November 2023.

mid-day had reported on November 24, 2023, that locals were complaining about the missing footpaths on the bridge. Following this, Guardian Minister of Mumbai City Deepak Kesarkar instructed the BMC to build a footpath on the bridge. Worli MLA Aditya Thackeray also demanded that a footpath be constructed, as the old bridge had one. At that time, the BMC made temporary provisions for a walkway for pedestrians by barricading the area.

Recently, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani approved a proposal for the construction of the footpath on the bridge. "BMC has started construction work on the footpath as of Friday. The width of the footpath will be 1 to 1.5 metres," a BMC official said. "The bridge sees heavy traffic, so we have decided to consult the traffic police before starting civil work on the footpath to manage traffic during the construction," the official added.

Gaurav Sakpal, a resident of Lower Parel, said the BMC was starting work after a full nine months. "We are hoping that the work will be completed soon, as thousands of pedestrians used the footpath on the old bridge, mainly schoolchildren," he added.

The BMC closed the bridge for traffic in July 2018, after which its reconstruction was delayed due to various reasons, including the pandemic and a shortage of gravel. The arm from the junction of Senapati Bapat Marg to Ganpatrai Kadam Marg toward Parel was opened to traffic on June 1, 2023. Then, part of another arm toward N M Joshi Marg was opened on September 18, 2023. The full bridge was opened to traffic in November 2023.