Bridges delayed, traffic jammed

 

Delays to complete four crucial bridges in the city have thrown traffic out of whack in the city. A part of Gokhale Bridge collapsed in 2018, following which it was shut down and an audit of all bridges by IIT-Bombay was ordered by the BMC

Mumbai: Andheri (west) resident Dr Vasudha Mulay, an anesthesiologist, has stopped attending emergency cases from hospitals in Andheri (east), as she is overwhelmed by the endless traffic jams at the Gokhale Bridge due to ongoing repair work. The bridge, an important link between the suburb’s east and west, sees heavy vehicular traffic every day, as only two lanes have been kept open.

A part of Gokhale Bridge that collapsed in 2018, following which it was shut down and an audit of all bridges by IIT-Bombay was ordered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Work, which was originally supposed to be complete this year, may take three more years.

“We earn case to case. When we take up a case and don’t reach on time, we lose that case. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes just to cross that 1-km bridge. A few months ago, when I was on my way to attend an emergency case in Andheri (east), I got stuck in traffic and had to call another anesthesiologist to attend the case. Apart from the bridge being partially shut, the road after the bridge is also in a bad shape which contributes to the jams,” said Dr Mulay.

This is not the only half-done bridge causing traffic snarls; pending work on other bridges also compound the problems for citizens.

The Delisle Bridge at Lower Parel, shut in 2018 after the IIT-Bombay audit, was slated to open by December 2022. The deadline has been pushed to March 2023. The work is being jointly executed by BMC’s bridges department and the Western Railway (WR).

Additional municipal commissioner (projects), P Velarasu, said, “The bridge at N M Joshi Marg (Delisle Bridge) will be completed in March 2023. Most bridges planned over railway lines were delayed as codal provision issued by railways changed. As a result, thickness of plates, screws and other material to be used also changed. This led to increase in cost and tenders had to be reworked. A lot of bridges will be completed by 2023, easing traffic jams.”

On April 10, 2022, HT had reported the then cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray blaming Indian Railways for the delay in the reconstruction of Delisle Bridge. However, WR rubbished the claims of a deliberate attempt to delay and said it was due unavailability of labour and oxygen used for welding and other construction work due to the pandemic.

Advocate Trivankumar Karnani, founder of Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF) said, “The bridges department seems to be one of the slowest to get any project off the ground. How does a city with nearly ₹45,000-crore annual budget not have resources to fast-track such important work?”

Dhawal Ashar, programme head, Integrated Transport, World Resources Institute, said, “We have been trying to create more space for cars for two decades, by constructing many flyovers. We have ended up with more vehicles and traffic jams. More roads lead to more cars – this is called induced demand.” Ashar felt new flyovers will not magically solve the traffic problem, which is why “Mumbai must consciously shift its paradigm to moving people, instead of moving vehicles”.

“We need a different approach to planning that puts people first and shifts the priority pyramid to walking, cycling and public transport first and automobiles last,” added Ashar.

Bridges under construction

Gokhale Bridge

(Connects Andheri east to west)

Work commenced: A part of the Gokhale Bridge collapsed in July, 2018, killing two and injuring three. Subsequently, the bridge was shut, with an assurance that it would be rebuilt. Work started only in 2020.

Original deadline: Mid-2022.

New deadline: Unknown.

Time-lapse: Four years.

Reason for delay: Sanjay Kumar Pandav, executive engineer, bridges department, western suburbs, said, “Railways has asked BMC to have the design plan (of the portion of the bridge over the railway tracks) approved from IIT-Bombay. We will soon pay the advance fees for approval to IIT-Bombay. Once the plan is approved by the institute, it will go to the railways for a nod, following which it will need at least three years to complete the project.”