Motorists can brace for a harrowing experience as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will shut the bridge over the Oshiwara nullah in Jogeshwari on Monday. Those travelling towards Goregaon will have to use alternative roads, which will increase travel time. This bridge is one of the 29 structures that were supposed to be pulled down.
There are 344 bridges within the BMC limits, of which 296 bridges were audited between 2016 and 2018. Fourteen bridges were found completely dilapidated, which required demolition and reconstruction.
Following the foot overbridge collapse near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in March, the BMC decided to re-audit every bridge. While the audit in eastern and western suburbs has been complete, the audit of the bridges in island city is pending. The re-audit in suburbs revealed that there were 15 additions to the list of completely dilapidated bridges, thus bringing the number to 29. Of the 29, eight have been demolished while 13 have been shut. The remaining will be closed soon.
The 55-metre bridge over Oshiwara nullah on S.V. Road is used by those travelling between Jogeshwari and Goregaon. Motorists will now have to go via Behrambaug Road, Relief Road, Link Road or the Western Express Highway. But each of these alternative roads is a longer route.
After the BMC published a notice on the closure recently, people took to Twitter to criticise the civic body.
One user @AndheriNews wrote, “This will lead to 1 km long traffic jams on SV road. And with traffic jammed due to bridge coming on relief road it will be blood red on Google maps throughout the day.” Another user @preet_kal tweeted, “MCGM has gone bonkers. They are closing roads as we close books or newspapers. No planning, no scheduling, no brains.…”
Following the uproar from all quarters, the BMC has sought a second opinion. It has asked experts from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute to inspect the bridge and submit a report, following which the civic body may review the closure. But until then, motorists will have to plan their travel accordingly.
“We are considering giving the contract of the reconstruction of the bridge over the Oshiwara nullah to the contractor working on the extension of the Mrinal Tai Gore flyover. Since the contractor is already in place, work can start immediately, considering public interest. We are awaiting sanction for this move. Otherwise, the tendering will take about six months,” an engineer from the bridges department said.
If the BMC goes ahead, the contract worth approximately ₹30 crore will be awarded without inviting bids. The move may face resistance from the standing committee.