Mumbai: The Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge, a crucial east-west connector in Andheri, has faced setbacks despite progress in the shifting of the steel girder on the southern side back in September.
Originally, the second phase of the bridge construction was expected to be completed by November 14, but due to delays, the contractor will face penalties. As a result of these delays, the overall project deadline has been pushed back to April 30, 2025, extending the original target date.
After the steel components for the second girder were fabricated at the Ambala plant, they were transported to Mumbai in August. Once on site, the intricate process of assembling the girder components was successfully completed by the end of the month.
Each girder spans 13.5 meters in width and extends 90 meters in length, with a total weight of approximately 1,300 metric tons. Following assembly, the steel girder on the southern side of the bridge was carefully shifted a total distance of 86 meters as part of the ongoing construction work.
The next critical phase of the project involved lowering the girder to a height of 7.5 meters. Alongside this, several additional tasks are to be undertaken to bring the bridge closer to completion. These included the installation of crash barriers, asphalting the surface, constructing access roads, setting up street lights, and applying road markings.
However, the progress has been delayed due to limited workspace at the site. A key challenge has been the lack of adequate space to position the crane, which is essential for some of these tasks, said civic sources.
"The contractor is responsible for assessing the risk factors and determining an appropriate timeline. As a result of the delays in both the girder launch and the completion of various tasks—including the surfacing of the railway portion on the southern arm of the bridge—the contractor has already been penalised. The work is now expected to be completed by the first week of December. Meanwhile, construction on the approach road within the municipal limits will continue concurrently." said a civic official.
Dhaval Shah of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association said, "When we inquired about the current status of the Gokhale Bridge, we were told that the lowering work is expected to begin in the next day or two. However, the work on the railway portion of the bridge is currently 10 to 15 days behind schedule."
The bridge 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.
