Mumbai: Two lanes of reconstructed Gokhale bridge thrown open for traffic

A portion of the reconstructed Gokhale bridge over the railway tracks at Andheri station in western Mumbai was opened for traffic on Monday evening, an official said.

The Gokhale bridge was shut for vehicular traffic from November 7, 2022 due to its dilapidated condition.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official, two of the four lanes of the reconstructed bridge for east-west connectivity have been opened for light motor vehicles.

In a post on social media platform X, the BMC said the reconstructed bridge was an engineering marvel.

''For the first time in India a ground-breaking 1300 MT girder bridge was installed over one of the country's busiest railway tracks using sliding technology and lowered by seven meters without disrupting critical railway services below,'' the civic body said.

It said Gokhale bridge is the first bridge in Mumbai that was completed in just 14 months from inception and had, hence, set a ''a new benchmark for infrastructure projects'' in the metropolis.

Mumbai suburban district guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, among others, were present when the bridge was thrown open for traffic.

''The second girder of the four lane bridge is yet to be launched. The second phase of the bridge is expected to be completed by December 2024,'' the BMC said.

The civic body said it has appointed a consultant to address the issue of height mismatch with the DC Barfiwala bridge next to it.

''The BMC has appointed consultants from IIT and VJTI to resolve the height issue effectively, with solutions and ramp completion expected by December 2024 along with the completion of second phase of the Bridge,'' the civic body said on X.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)