Two bridges in South Mumbai, which has been shut for several years, are expected to be operational before monsoon.
After a three-year delay caused by various factors, the Himalaya foot over bridge (FoB) outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal (CSMT) is set to open on March 15. The Delisle bridge too is in the final stages and will be opened to motorists by May end this year, said officials.
The delays in the project were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Himalaya Bridge:
Although the staircase and most of the construction are in the final stages, the bridge will lack an escalator due to space constraints. City officials say that the escalator will take another three to four months to be installed.
The project's delay was caused by various factors, including issues with water lines, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) cables, and subterranean utilities. The BMC decided to add an escalator to the tender in 2022 and place it at another opening on the internal road. The work order for the escalator was issued a few months ago, but the factory will need some time to build it. Therefore, the escalator will be built after four months.
Delisle Bridge:
Civic officials said reconstruction of this bridge is being done in three phases. The portion above the railway tracks are being demolished by the railways, while the approaches and ramps are being constructed by BMC. However, the remaining work like installation of sound barriers and minor ancillary works will be carried out after monsoon, even while the bridge stays open to traffic, officials added.
The deadline for this bridge has been revised several times. Initially, this bridge was to open by December 2022, but it was pushed to March 2023. Now officials have said it will finally be reopened for vehicular movement by end of May.
For those unversed, the Delisle Bridge in Lower Parel, which was closed in August 2018 after a body of technical experts from IIT-Bombay declared the bridge unfit.
It is the first collaborative project of BMC and Railways, since the bridge runs above railway tracks. The bridge was shut overnight in 2018, soon after the Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge collapsed. The closure caused huge inconvenience to Mumbai citizens, since it was frequented by motorists travelling to and from NM Joshi Road in downtown Mumbai.
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