Ready in 17 days, temporary Dharavi bridge opens today

The temporary Dharavi bridge is meant only for light vehicles

A temporary bridge was constructed over the Dadar-Dharavi nullah in a record 17 days, civic officials said on Tuesday. It will be opened for light vehicles today, and the work on building a permanent structure will begin after the monsoon.

The bridge, which is important for the connectivity between Mahim station and Dharavi, was closed for traffic a few years ago, after a portion of the culvert bridge collapsed. The closure caused traffic jams in the area, following which the BMC decided on a temporary fix.

Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad, the local MLA, held a meeting with the BMC officials and requested an immediate resolution to the traffic woes. Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velrasu visited the site and instructed the bridges department to construct a temporary structure for light motor vehicles before the monsoon.

"The bridges department started the demolition work on May 13 and it went on for five days. In the meantime, the consultant prepared the design of the bridge. On May 18, the BMC started building the bridge and completed the work on May 31," said a civic official.

"The entire process of demolition and construction of the temporary bridge took only 17 days, which is a record for construction of a bridge in the BMC. The temporary bridge weighs about 30 tonnes and is 16 meters long and 4 meters wide. It will be opened for light vehicles on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the process of reconstruction of the permanent bridge is underway and the construction work will start post-monsoon," said Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ulhas Mahale.