Mumbai: Section of Gokhale bridge may be opened by Feb-end

The Gokhale bridge construction is nearing completion, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to commence asphalt work on the railway portion next week. A section of the bridge is expected to be open by the end of the month.

"Concrete has been applied to a section of the bridge, and following the guidelines, a 21-day curing period is required for the concrete road. Once the curing is completed next week, we will proceed with asphalting on the railway track portion to allow vehicles to pass on the newly constructed approach road," said a BMC official working on the project.

"The BMC has chosen to open a section of the bridge until the final week of February. Subsequently, the construction of the second girder is scheduled to commence in April," the official added.

BMC has also initiated repairs on a 10-square-metre section of the Teli Gali flyover, connecting to the Gokhale bridge, due to uneven undulation detected as reported by mid-day on October 2, 2023. The contractor, under BMC's direction, began repairing the identified area on Monday. As this falls within the defect liability period, the contractor will handle the repair without payment from BMC.

The Gokhale bridge, closed to motorists since November 2022, underwent demolition from December 2022 to March 2023. The BMC initiated the construction of its first girder on December 2, 2023, following a part of the bridge collapse in 2018.

Originally slated for completion by April 2022, the reconstruction faced delays due to the pandemic and technical issues. The decision to reconstruct the entire bridge was made after an expert committee declared it dilapidated. Initially, BMC was set to build only the connector, while the railway authority was responsible for the bridge over the railway track, according to the original plan.