Mumbai: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday inspected the ongoing construction work of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge in Mumbai and announced that it would be opened to the public by the end of October.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had floated a tender for the reconstruction of the bridge in December, with the aim of opening one of the arms by the end of May. The deadline had to be postponed due to shortage of steel supply at Jindal and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) plants. Meanwhile, the BMC said it will try to open both sides of the bridge by the end of December.
The Prime Minister said, “I reviewed the situation and spoke to the DRM of the Western Railways. I will also monitor the steel supply and ensure that vehicular traffic on the bridge will start by the end of October this year.”
According to Andheri legislator Ameet Satam, while one leg of the bridge will open at the end of October, the entire bridge will not be operational until May 2024.
Satam said, “The total steel requirement of the railway section is around 2,600 tonnes, of which 750 tonnes have been delivered till date and another 1,200 tonnes will arrive by the end of this month. Fabrication work will begin after the remaining steel arrives by July. Only after that, one branch of the bridge will be completed by the end of October. The work to open the second lane will start in November and will be completed by May 2024.”
Dhaval Shah, Lokhandwala Oshiwara Civic Association said, “The postponement of the opening of the second lane of the bridge to May 2024 is disheartening and worrisome as it will cause further hardship to residents who were hoping for a revised deadline of one year. it’s over.”
