Servicing the city’s commuters for years, Andheri’s Gokhale bridge in Mumbai has now been shut down following a recent structural analysis. A significant east-west link, the Gokhale Bridge was indeed in a monumental part of Mumbai’s transport network.
However, due to inevitable wear and tear, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has closed the bridge for two years to replace it with a new one.
Gokhale bridge declared ‘dangerous and unsafe’
The bridge has been rated “dangerous and unsafe” by BMC’s consultation company. The structural audit revealed that the operating component of the bridge has structural cracks and that the steel reinforcements inside the cement has deteriorated, endangering the lives of many commuters. Before the shutdown, vehicular traffic was permitted only in a part of the bridge.
The municipality corporation and traffic police authorities are working together to find potential alternate routes to ease traffic congestion. The alternate routes and traffic arrangements will be made public following a meeting of the authorities.
According to officials, the contracting procedure will take another two months and repaired bridge will be functioned by 2024.
