After years of delay, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has invited bids for two bridges, including a cable-stayed one (whose weight is supported by a number of cables running from towers), at Mahalaxmi at a cost of ₹460 crore. The two bridges will act as additional connectors from Saat Rasta to Worli and will take load off the existing, decades-old bridge.
The existing rail overbridge (ROB) at Mahalaxmi station is almost 100 years old and dilapidated. IIT Bombay had recommended reducing the bridge’s load as it cannot withstand the weight of heavy vehicles. Since the BMC cannot pull it down without building an alternative bridge, it is undertaking repairs. It had also planned two ROBs at Mahalaxmi station to take the load off the existing one. These included one from Dr. E. Moses Road (Worli Naka) to Saat Rasta and another from Saat Rasta to Keshavrao Khadye Marg (towards Haji Ali). Together, they were supposed to ease traffic at the Saat Rasta junction and Mahalaxmi station.
The one from Saat Rasta was planned as a cable-stayed bridge as it would pass over railway tracks and could not have pillars. It was touted as the city’s first cable-stayed bridge. Initially, the Western Railway (WR) wanted the BMC to construct the entire bridge, while the corporation insisted that the WR construct its own portion. Now, the BMC will be constructing the entire stretch, with relevant permissions from the WR.
“As the existing ROB is the only link to connect Worli with Tardeo/Haji Ali, and it has completed its design life, it is necessary to connect the missing links of Dr. E. Moses Road and Keshavrao Khadye Marg to have better connectivity to Saat Rasta, Byculla to the east of the tracks and Tardeo to the west,” said the tender document.
The ROB on E. Moses Road will be 637 m long while the one on Khadye Marg will be 803 m long. Together, the two will cost ₹460 crore and will take at least three years to complete. The BMC is expected to complete the bidding process by November and award the work by December.
“One bridge is being planned as cable-stayed because it will prevent additional piers on the road beneath for seamless traffic. Besides, it is better for aesthetics,” said Vijay Singhal, additional municipal commissioner.