Thane: Kalwa locals don't want to burn 170-year-old bridge

Authorities declare Kalwa bridge dangerous, install barricades but pedestrians still keep jumping over it despite having a new bridge metres away

When mid-day visited the bridge a week ago, motorists and pedestrians were still using it. Pic/Satej Shinde

Kalwa citizens love living on the edge. Their preference to continue walking on a 170-year-old bridge outside the commissioner’s office, which has been declared dangerous by authorities, only proves the same. Pedestrians, and until last week motorists, keep using the bridge, despite repeated warnings from authorities, who have also barricaded the bridge.

When mid-day visited the bridge on Thursday, motorists were not plying on it but pedestrians kept jumping over the iron barricades

When mid-day visited the British-era bridge that connects Kalwa to Thane a week ago, it was free for motorcycles. They would prefer using this bridge to the new one built barely metres away to avoid traffic.

Barricades installed
Since then, civic authorities have installed barricades on the bridge but even then, when mid-day visited the bridge on Thursday, it observed pedestrians jumping through the metal barricade to use it.

Authorities have not been blind to this bridge, though. After the devastating tragedy of the Mahad bridge, which killed 28 in August, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) started surveying the bridge with the help of experts and engineers and prepared a report, which has been submitted to TMC a month ago.

Ratan Awasarmol, city engineer, TMC, said engineers and experts from IIT Powai conducted the survey. “It was a complete check of the bridge, where they check the gravity, the British-era stone, click pictures of the bridge, had a test drive on it and looked into many other aspects. The experts report said that the bridge is not at all useful for motorists, but can’t be used by a single pedestrian either.”

Not even fit for repairs
The bridge was made to last only 100 years. But it has been used for 70 more since. “We have now installed barricades on the bridge and also asked the traffic police to not stop motorists from using the bridge, so that no tragedy occurs. The bridge was being repaired a year ago, but now that the experts have stated that it is not in a state to go for repairs, it will be closed completely,” Awasarmol added.

A senior police inspector from the Kalwa traffic division said, “The corporation has issued us a letter stating that the bridge should be closed and not used by motorists. Iron barricades have been installed on it. Motorists have been stopped, but the pedestrians continue crossing the barricade and using the bridge. We will now ask the corporation to install iron shed and close it completely so that pedestrians don’t use it. As the report claims, not a single person should walk on it.”

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