Gokhale Bridge closed: Chaos, confusion on Day 1

Around 11 am, a heavy flow of traffic was seen on the Andheri subway and Amboli junction in the jurisdiction of D N Nagar traffic police division in Andheri (west). The south-bound stretch of S V Road saw heavy traffic in Andheri. Similar heavy traffic was seen in the evening peak hours from 4 pm to 9 pm, said police sources.

In a bid to create more space for the crawling traffic, the BMC removed over 100 hawkers on S V road from morning till afternoon. In Santacruz division, Milan subway, and Thakare bridge saw heavy traffic. Captain Vinayak Gore flyover in Vile Parle, which connects east to west, as well as the Vile Parle junction from Andheri to Centaur Hotel on the western express highway, saw a heavy load of traffic.

‘Alternate route inconvenient’

Though a signboard on the barricading of Gokhale Bridge suggests five alternate routes, citizens find the detour inconvenient. Rehan Sherkhan, a resident of Andheri (W), seemed confused about the closure of the bridge. “I needed to go to the two-wheeler mechanic at the end of the bridge but now with the barricading it is a very long way around,” said Rehan, who works in the Information Technology (IT) sector. He did not seem to know about the closure of the bridge until he came to the foot of the bridge.

Another resident of Andheri (W), Sandesh More, who works as a delivery executive for a tailor, said, “I take the rickshaw across the Gokhale Bridge while making my deliveries. Now, with the Vile Parle route congested, crossing the bridge on foot is the most convenient.” Pedestrians have been taking the connector between east and west by foot. However, there seems to be no space for pedestrians to conveniently enter or exit the bridge.

Rickshaw driver Indrajit Yadav told The Indian Express that he has seen an increase in traffic all over Andheri. A resident of Andheri (E) himself, Yadav said, “My livelihood has taken a hit as a bulk of my passengers were between Andheri east and west. Now that the route is not being frequented, my earning has dropped.” He said he will now be taking the Vile Parle bridge though he knows it would be overcrowded.

Like many others during the day, Sushil Singh also did not know of the bridge’s closure until he came to its foot. Working as a delivery executive, Singh said, “The closure of the bridge is going to cause longer delays and detours which will only mean late deliveries.” Travelling on his cycle, Singh was also unsure which alternate path to take.

A traffic police officer near the Andheri railway station said on the condition of anonymity, “The alternate subways and bridges are narrow, causing the traffic to slow down.”

Traffic police seek wardens

Several traffic police officials told The Indian Express that they doubled to tripled the number of policemen at the alternate routes to manage the heavy flow of traffic. A stop-gap arrangement has been made by shifting manpower internally. This has been provided to traffic divisions (Vakola, Santacruz, Oshiwara, D N Nagar, Goregaon, Jogeshwari) around the Gokhale bridge from other traffic divisions in central and eastern parts of Mumbai.

A traffic source said, “It is getting difficult to manage the traffic. The railways and the BMC need to speed up the work of Gokhale bridge and finish at least one side within two months. This will provide some relief.”

Traffic police sources also added that they need some manpower from the Mumbai Police and have requested the BMC to provide them with 200 traffic wardens to help ease the traffic during peak hours.

Confirming the development of the request for traffic wardens, P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (Projects), BMC, said, “Yes. We usually provide these persons to divert and manage the traffic when additional manpower is needed.” —With inputs from Pratip Acharya