Mumbai: The fact-finding committee has attributed the misalignment between Andheri's Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge and the CD Barfiwala Flyover to a lack of coordination between civic and railway officials. In its report, the committee highlighted this oversight, which has resulted in embarrassment for the BMC. Consequently, the civic authorities will now demand explanations from the responsible officials regarding this significant error.
After facing severe criticism for the blunder, the BMC undertook the alignment work of both the structures from April 14. The work was carried out under the supervision of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT- B) and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI).
The civic officials claimed that the challenging task of aligning both the structures was completed in a record time of 78 days using a hydraulic jack and 'MS stool' packing. After aligning the six ft gap between both the structures, Barfiwala flyover was opened to light motor vehicles (LMVs) last week. This development has significantly eased commuting for motorists traveling from Juhu to Andheri East or the Western Express Highway.
Meanwhile, Additional Municipal Commissioner Amit Saini submitted a fact-finding report to Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, detailing the reasons why the misalignment went unnoticed for such a prolonged period. "The report pointed out the lack of coordination between two agencies, BMC and the railway. The concerned official will have to clarify why the misalignment went unnoticed," said Gagrani.
The misalignment came to light after one arm of Gokhale Bridge was opened for traffic on February 26. The motorist faced inconvenience due to a height gap between both the bridges. The work was carried out after consulting the technical experts from VJTI and IIT. Around Rs. 3 crores was spent on the alignment. The second phase of both structures is now expected to be completed in March 2025.
