Mumbai: Mumbaikars must brace themselves for more traffic snarls than usual in the near future as BMC plans to revamp as many as 14 damaged road bridges simultaneously across the city. After the recent audit of around 296 road bridges, conducted after the collapse of Gokhale Bridge in Andheri on July 3 in which two people were killed, 18 city bridges were found to be beyond repair. These 14 bridges are part of the 18 structures identified in the audit, according to civic officials.
The audit had also revealed that major repairs were needed for 61 structures and minor repairs were to be made to 107 of the bridges. Civic officials said tenders for the structural repair of 15 bridges are already in process. “The Yellow Gate foot-overbridge (FOB) at Masjid has already been demolished for reconstruction.
It will be at least two years before all these bridges are pulled down and reconstructed. We will ensure that Mumbaikars face the least amount of trouble possible,” said an official of BMC’s bridges department. Of the 14 bridges, six FOBs to be razed are: Two Maharshi Karve Road bridges (South and North) leading up to Chandanwadi, Mulund Colony’s Guru Nanak Nagar bridge, Sant Muktabai bridge in Ghatkopar, Kannamwar bridge in Vikhroli and Yellow Gate bridge in Masjid.
The other eight slated for demolition are the Renaissance Hotel bridge in Powai, Hari Masjid Nullah bridge in Khairani Road, Wallabhat Nullah bridge in Goregaon, Gandhi Nagar bridge in Malad, bridges on Akurli and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Roads and Vithal Mandir in Kandivli and Borivli’s Vaibhav Society bridge.