The existing footbridges at Lower Parel were proving to be inadequate for commuters after the shutting down of the road over bridge
Foundations of the new bridge are ready on the west side
Given the crowding and stampede-like situation at Lower Parel station, the Western Railway has got cracking on one more footbridge at its north end, which will be constructed after demolishing old railway structures, so that east-west access is not hampered. While foundations of the new bridge are already in place on the west side, a few structures in the east side near Eastern Bakery are being demolished to build the bridge that promises to ease load on the older footbridge.
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Western Railway chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar confirmed the development and said that the new bridge will ease the load on the older Dadar-end bridge, and prove to be useful. He said, "The new bridge will be 10 metres wide and about 70 metres long. Work has been speeded up already and it will be done in six months."
The shutting down of Lower Parel road over bridge on July 24 had led to problems, and the existing footbridges at the station were proving to be woefully inadequate to cater to the crowd.
"The new bridge at the Churchgate-end has been built, but since there still are more crowds on the old Dadar-end bridge, this additional footbridge will prove to be beneficial. The crowd has increased manifold since the shutting down of the road over bridge, and hence we have decided to construct a new bridge just next to the older one. This will be a wider one and will connect east and west," a senior official said.
He added that the construction has already begun and a few old structures in the east are being demolished for the landing. It will have landings on all the platforms and improve the circulating area of the station.
70m
Length of the new foot overbridge
10m
Width of the foot overbridge
Lower Parel ROB to be dismantled
The Western Railway (WR) will begin to dismantle the Lower Parel (Delisle Road) road bridge from Monday. Once the process of shifting the utilities is complete, the asphalt will be removed and the metal bridge will be cut in parts with the help of diamond cutters. Since the bridge is placed at a 65-degree angle, it has become difficult to assess which part bears the load. It will be demolished piece by piece, and the entire process will take three months to complete.
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