The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday announced that vehicular movement on Gokhale Bridge was likely to be shut from Monday for at least two years to carry out reconstruction work of the east-west corridor of the bridge.
The BMC has already written to the traffic police and requested closure of the bridge.
P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said fresh tenders will be floated within the next one month for the final design and approval of the new bridge. “A tender for demolishing and reconstructing the main portion of the bridge, which is above the railway tracks, will be floated after design validation by IIT – Bombay. The final approval for this part will come from the Railways. The decision of shutting the bridge is being taken by traffic police, based on our recommendation,” Velrasu told The Indian Express on Thursday.
Meanwhile, local residents expressed their opposition to the closing of the bridge. “Shutting traffic movement on the bridge is going to cause pandemonium and the BMC needs to work on war footing to reconstruct the bridge,” said Dhaval Shah, local resident and founder of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Resident’s Association.
