BMC to rebuild Bandra skywalk

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to demolish and rebuild a part of the city’s first skywalk in Bandra. BMC has taken the decision owing to the structural defects pointed out by a third-party auditor.

Owing to the demolition and reconstruction, traffic on the station road leading to Bandrakurla Complex (BKC) is likely to be hit.

The skywalk starts from SV Road in Bandra (West) up to the BKC junction. According to BMC officials, the stretch of the skywalk between the eastern side of Bandra station and the Western Express Highway will be rebuilt at the cost of around ₹16.2 crore. The last date for submitting bids is September 13. The civic body has set a target of 18 months, including the monsoon period, for the reconstruction of the skywalk. The civic body plans to reconstruct the skywalk as the difference in cost between carrying out major repairs and rebuilding it is narrow.

“For now, we are taking a particular stretch of the skywalk [for reconstruction]. A decision on the remaining such structures will be taken in the coming days.

We plan to carry out demolition and reconstruction according to the traffic movement on the station road as it is not feasible to shut the road below,” said Satish Thosar, chief engineer of BMC’S bridges department.

The skywalk was constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and later handed over to BMC for maintenance in 2015.

During the 2019 monsoon season, a portion of the skywalk collapsed, injuring a woman. In August 2019, HT had reported that BMC considered the demolition of a part of the skywalk, but the execution of the plan was delayed due to the lockdown.