The much-anticipated Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge in Andheri has been a topic of concern for its inhabitants. The repeated delays in opening one half of the bridge have led to a call for action. People have now proposed to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Chief Iqbal Singh Chahal to assign a top officer to keep track of construction on a daily basis.
Citizens have also pointed out additional pending work, which could potentially cause more delays in the project. According to the latest reports, BMC is now set to commence work of the final stage, which includes road work and concreting of the deck, on January 27. These works will be completed soon say in 4-5 days. Following this, the curing of concrete will take 21 days.
There is skepticism about the BMC's ability to open a portion of the bridge by the end of February. Office workers have been facing inconveniences since last year. The opening of one side of the bridge could provide accessibility to students taking their board examinations in March.
The delays have led to many traffic problems in Andheri. The civic body had previously committed to opening one side of the bridge by May 31 of the previous year. However, various factors led to the deadline being missed for the fifth time. Recently, Chahal asked officials to finish the work by February 29 on a war footing. BMC will miss the sixth deadline if it does not open the bridge by the end of February.
Environmental activist Zoru Bhathena and others pointed out in a signed letter that the approach road to the bridge has not even been constructed yet. The letter also mentions the absence of a pedestrian stairway. It further questions the accommodations made for pedestrians to use the bridge. It also notes that the girders have not yet arrived from Ambala.
The bridge was closed to traffic and pedestrians on November 7, 2022, after an audit deemed it unsafe. BMC started the construction in April 2023. The authority had promised to open one lane last year.
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