‘Kopri bridge needs to be rebuilt, not widened’
THANE: The CSMT mishap has brought back focus on the bridges across the city, one of them being the Kopri rail overbridge (ROB) near Thane station.
At least 1.22 lakh vehicles use the two-lane Kopri bridge, part of the eastern express highway, daily to go towards Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai. It is a railway bridge, which is being maintained by the public works department (PWD). While the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is currently widening the two-lane ROB, which was built in 1958, railway authorities have been demanding its demolition, stating it needs to be rebuilt.
“Due to the continuous movement of heavy vehicles, tremendous vibrations can be felt on the ROB. The deck slab is in distressed condition, as the reinforcement is exposed at many places,” the railway authorities had said in the letter.
Last year, public works minister Eknath Shinde demanded the Army reconstruct the bridge. The chief minister had promised to consider the demand, but there was no further development on it.
“We repaired the bridge after the railway authorities’ letter. The footpaths were repaired and a safety wall was constructed alongside. The bridge was made safe for vehicular traffic,” said a PWD officer.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said shared a copy of the letter. “The state government, civic body and other government agencies are playing with the lives of the people,” he said.