Mumbai: Heavy vehicles barred from plying on Oshiwara bridge

A newly installed height barrier at one end of Oshiwara bridge on SV Road on Wednesday. Pic/Satej Shinde

A month after mid-day highlighted the potential danger of heavy vehicles causing the Oshiwara bridge on SV Road to collapse, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) swung into action. On Wednesday, height barriers could be seen on either side of the bridge to prevent heavy vehicles from plying on the connector.

Users say the height barriers were long awaited

Motorist Amit Pathak, who uses the bridge frequently, said, "The BMC finally installing height barriers on the bridge is a good sign. Now, the BMC and the traffic police should act against heavy vehicles that are parked overnight on the Oshiwara bridge on New Link Road close to the Oshiwara depot, despite the fact that the BMC has put up signs appealing to the people not to do so due to the bridge's poor condition." The 55-metre-long bridge is an arterial connector between Jogeshwari and Goregaon and is used by thousands of motorists on a daily basis.

Risk factor

mid-day, in its report ‘Heavy vehicles could bring this bridge crashing down, revealed how the civic body had put up notices at one end of the bridge on SV Road over Oshiwara creek, stating that the structure is dilapidated and unsuitable for heavy vehicles, but many drivers of such vehicles were using the connector.

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In June 2019, the BMC, during a structural audit, found that the bridge was in a dilapidated condition. The north-bound portion of the bridge was later demolished and two-way traffic was allowed on the south-bound portion of the structure, which has two lanes.

Dhaval Shah, chairman of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen's Association, said, "As the north side is broken down, the other side of the road is in a precarious condition and the installation of height barriers was long overdue. The road is also in a shambles. The bridges department needs to look into the matter as the visarjan season is on."

55m
Length of the bridge