Mumbai: Nearly three months after the launch of the southern side girder of Andheri's Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge, the lowering work has finally begun. The lowering process has progressed up to 2.05 metres out of the required 8.5 metres, with the work expected to be completed by the end of November.
The railway portion of the bridge is scheduled to be finished by December 31. Although there have been delays, civic authorities have assured that the entire bridge will be fully operational by April 30, 2025.
The second girder, measuring 86 meters in length, began sliding into position in September. Each girder spans 13.5 meters in width and extends 90 meters in length, with a total weight of approximately 1,300 metric tons.
However, the lowering process, which was initially expected to be completed by the second week of November, faced delays. The work finally began last Saturday, with progress hindered by limited space at the site. A significant challenge has been the insufficient space to position the crane, which is crucial for carrying out some of the tasks, said civic sources.
After completion of lowering, the work on several other tasks will begin. These include the installation of crash barriers, asphalting the surface, constructing access roads, setting up streetlights, and applying road markings.
However, these tasks will also take time and are subject to the completion of the ongoing work, further impacting the overall project timeline, said sources. Meanwhile, a senior official reassured, "Since work on the approach roads is already underway, once the lowering process is completed, all other tasks will be finished within the deadline."
The east-west connector was declared dilapidated and closed in November 2022. The BMC initially aimed to open two lanes for traffic after launching the first girder by May 2023, but the project was delayed by 10 months.
The first half of the bridge finally became operational on February 26, 2024. However, the deadline for completion of the bridge has extended several times in the last two years.
