The Sion Road Over Bridge (ROB), a piece of British colonial history, is still intact due to the repeated delays in demolition plans. The six-month demolition process, originally planned to start on January 20, has been pushed back for the third time now.
It was first pushed to February 28 and then to March 28. Sources now suggest the demolition might occur after Mumbai's Lok Sabha election on May 20.
Despite the traffic police's claim that they were ready for diversions, some reports have shown doubts. It has been alleged that there has been a lack of preparation. No efforts have been made except for the 'closure' signboards.
The Sion ROB connects many highways and areas like Sion, Dharavi, Dadar, Chunabhatti, and BKC. It is used by thousands of commuters daily.
Earlier delays were attributed to the Class 10–12 board exams and not enough preparation. Later delays were due to Ramadan and Eid from April 9–12.
The bridge will be dismantled and widened to make way for the fifth and sixth lines between Kurla and Parel. The new lines will be installed west of the current tracks at Sion Station. These tracks are now obstructed by the bridge's pillars. The new bridge's length will increase from 30 to 49 metres.
The railways plan to build the fifth and sixth lines of tracks connecting Kurla to Parel in sync with the ROB.
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) raised safety issues about the bridge in its April 2020 audit report. It said that there were decaying structural components.
The ROB's closure is likely to cause traffic congestion and force drivers to reroute through Kurla. The total cost of dismantling and rebuilding the ROB is estimated at INR 50 crore.
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