Structural audit of Mahalaxmi station bridge shows that it is in need of an urgent and major overhaul, but the BMC has been dragging it's on the report for the last five months
Aerial view of Mahalaxmi bridge; cracks below the bridge and along the gallas under it. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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The British's railway legacy and south Mumbai's key connector, the Mahalaxmi station bridge, is a disaster waiting to happen. It's been five months since a structural audit report of the bridge recommended an urgent and major overhaul, but BMC is yet to initiate action.
The audit report, accessed exclusively by mid-day, raises serious concerns over the bridge's structural stability — excessive corrosion of rebars, columns, slabs and beams and replacement of all expansion joints — and suggests measures to prevent a disaster.
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Also known as 'T' bridge, it was built 80 years ago. A consultant was appointed by the BMC last year to perform its structural audit and inventory, and it submitted its report on December 16, 2016.
Crumbling under the weight
The report states that the soffits - the underside of an architectural structure - of the deck in bays 1-4 on Keshavrao Khadye Marg (connecting to Saat Rasta) and bay 17 on Dr E Moses Road (towards Haji Ali) are the most damaged. "Concrete cracking and bursting was also observed at beam-to-beam joints and beam column joints. Several units report leakages from top, particularly at expansion joints, which happen to be aligned in middle of gala units," it says.
A BMC official said as an immediate measure, the auditor proposed structural propping to relieve the load in columns and beams. "To assess the extent of damage, the consultant recommended a non-destructive test (NDT) of the bridge."
Commercial exploitation
A senior official from G-south, the ward in which the bridge falls, blamed "extreme alterations, additions and illegal construction" in the galas below the bridge for the structure's damage. "The galas are the municipal body's property and are meant to be run only as godowns or warehouses."
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There are around 40 industrial and commercial units in the galas below the bridge, connecting to Dr E Moses Road, which include a dance academy, an animal hospital, a cigarette factory, and car and bike servicing centres. These galas fall in the vacant land tenement category, under which land is given on lease and cannot be sub-leased. However, most of them have illegal occupants.
A BMC source said the illegal construction covers several pillars of the bridge, owing to which the auditor faced difficulties in assessing their condition.
Local Yuva Sena leader Abhijit Patil, who has in the last two years raised several complaints over illegal construction in the galas, said the unauthorised construction has been thriving for many years. "These additions and alterations have damaged the columns and beams of the bridge. No action has been taken on my complaints."
He dubbed as "shocking" BMC's failure to crack down on such illegal construction even after submission of the audit report. "I think the authorities are waiting for a big mishap to wake them up."
Repairs a mammoth task
Undertaking repairs on the bridge, though, is easier said than done. For starters, the BMC will have to chart out an alternative route for the endless traffic on the bridge. On an average, around 25,000 vehicles take the bridge from 8 am to 8 pm.
Getting clearance for the work, too, may prove to be an impediment. The railways and the BMC haven't been able to initiate work on the demolished iconic Hancock Bridge owing to a pending court case.
SO Kori, chief engineer (bridges), said the BMC and the railways are in talks over reconstruction of the Mahalaxmi bridge. "Railway authorities have offered to undertake the repairs, provided we pay for them. As of now, no immediate measure has been devised for repairs or propping. The NDT will be conducted in the next 15 days, following which we will decide on the next course of action."
Kori said the BMC is looking into alternative traffic routes, if and when the bridge is shut down.
mid-day reached out to assistant municipal commissioner, G-south ward, Prashant Sapkale, to check the status of action on galas, but he did not respond to calls or messages. Mukul Jain, divisional railway manager of Western Railway, too, was unavailable for comment.
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