Mumbai: Residents furious after civic body orders contractor to reconstruct 10 sq metres of the approach to Andheri’s Gokhale Rd bridge after tests find ‘uneven undulation’
The uneven section of the Teli Gali connector in Andheri East
- The structure will bypass the Teli Gali signal to reduce the bottleneck at Regency Hotel
- The length of the bridge is 570 metres and its cost is around Rs 150 crore
- This part of the bridge was completed just 6-7 months ago and in such a short period
Six months after it was constructed, part of the brand new Teli Gali connector, which was built as an approach road to the Gokhale bridge at Andheri East, will be remade. The BMC has issued directions to the contractor in this regard. Civic officials said they were left with no choice as “uneven undulations” had been discovered on the yet-to-be-opened structure even as shocked citizens slammed the municipal corporation.
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It is complete madness. This part of the bridge was completed just 6-7 months ago and in such a short period, ‘undulations’ have developed. If this is the situation now, I dread to think what will happen once it is opened to the public and vehicles start using it. British-era bridges have lasted for more than 100 years. The earlier flyovers built by the BMC also lasted for 40-50 years but this bridge is witnessing undulations in just half a year,” said Dhaval Shah, chairman of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association.
When questioned about the work, a BMC official said, “We recently found some uneven undulation on the surface area of around 10 square metres while inspecting the structure. We have hence asked the contractor to remove the section and re-do the uneven part. It will be done at his expense. The bridge is not
yet commissioned.”
The structure will bypass the Teli Gali signal to reduce the bottleneck at the Regency Hotel and Teli Gali junction, said a BMC official. The length of the bridge is 570 metres and its cost is around Rs 150 crore.
Activist Kamlakar Shenoy tweeted, “Teli Gali bridge connecting the Western Express Highway to Gokhale bridge is being broken before its opening. See the surface workmanship. Appears to be substandard.”
Activist Zoru Bhathena also expressed his outrage, tweeting, “Brand new bridge. Never been used Being dug up!!! Andheri East Between Gokhale Bridge to Parla junction on WEH. This bridge has never been used because Gokhale Bridge was shut down. BMC, what you'll up to now (sic).”
570m
Length of the bridge
Rs 150crore
The cost of the bridge
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