To save time, the project is being executed by Western Railway and BMC. Deeper foundations on either side of the rail tracks have been completed.
The bridge has been shut for traffic since July 2018, hugely impacting office-goers working in south Mumbai
The much-awaited Delisle Road Bridge project has crossed a milestone with the completion of deeper foundations on either side of rail tracks, and girders from Kota in Rajasthan now arriving at the site. It is expected to be ready by next March.
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The bridge, a crucial city link, has been shut for traffic since July 2018, hugely impacting office-goers working in the business district of south Mumbai. Also called the Lower Parel road bridge, it was demolished following an audit by the IIT.
The razing of the key overpass badly hit traffic movement from all directions. It was then decided to expedite the reconstruction and that the Western Railway would build the bridge while the BMC would develop the approach roads.
On Monday, WR completed the foundations of the bridge on the west side. The east side foundations had been completed in May 2020. With both foundations in place, authorities said, placing the girders would be expedited.
“The dismantling work of the spans over railway tracks was completed in February 2019, in a record time frame of five months. This was followed by dismantling of abutments in June 2019, after removal of encroachments by the BMC. WR then awarded the contract for rebuilding the railway portion at a cost of '87 crore and physical work of laying foundations was taken up after the monsoon in November 2019. The foundation work on east side was completed in May 2020 and completion of raft foundation on west side in June 2020,” Western Railway chief public relations officer Sumit Thakur said.
“A major milestone was achieved on January 10 when casting of west side pier cap was completed. With this, the foundation and substructure work of the bridge is now completed,” he added.
Thakur stated that a total of 360 metric tonnes of stainless steel along with 3,700 cubic metres of concrete (M-40 grade) has been used on the bridge. The first girder fabrication was completed at Kota Workshop (1,090 metric tonnes). "Till now, 260 metric tonnes of stainless steel for girder work has already reached the site,” he added.
Once girders are placed, three approaches to the bridge will be built by the BMC. Two on the west where dismantling and rebuilding can be executed by BMC and the approach on the east which has been planned to be used for assembly and launching of the heavy girders, which can only be pushed from one end. "Taking into account all this, the dismantling and rebuilding of approaches should be complete by March 2022,” a senior official said.
360mt
Quantity of steel that has been used on the bridge so far
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