WR will rebuild fallen portion of Andheri bridge
MUMBAI: Following a week-long inspection of the Gokhale Bridge in Andheri conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), western railway (WR) and Indian Institute of Technology-bombay (IIT-B), authorities said the portion of the bridge that collapsed on railway tracks at Andheri station on June 3 will be reconstructed by the WR. Funds for the construction, which is likely to begin in a month, will be provided by the civic body.
Sanjay Mishra, divisional railway manager, WR, said, “It has been decided that the pedestrian portion will be constructed by the railways. We will undertake all the work and the funds will be given by BMC.”
He further said that bridges at Dadar and Elphinstone station will be inspected first.
Currently, only two-wheelers are allowed to ply on the bridge. Three- and four-wheelers may not be allowed any time soon as WR will also undertake repair work of the bridge, said railway officials.
This has led to severe traffic congestion, owing to the fact that Gokhale Bridge connects the eastern and western parts of Andheri.
The other end of the pedestrian walkway will also be shut until the completion of the work. WR recently asked BMC to create a corpus fund of ₹30 crore to be used for reparation or upgrading of structures that cross the railway tracks.
Officials from the BMC, WR and IIT met on Monday to discuss the formation of teams to inspect the 445 such structures
in the city.
The bridges, identified by Western Railway for reconstruction are the ones at Grant Road, Mumbai Central, Mahalaxmi, Elphinstone, Lower Parel and Dadar stations.