After being closed for 15 months, a section of Andheri’s Gokhale Bridge is set to reopen by the end of this month, initially catering to light motor vehicles (LMVs). The bridge was shut down in November 2022 due to significant structural distress, including corrosion-related strength loss in elements such as RCC columns, tie beams, girders, deck slab, and bearings.
The Western Railway initiated the demolition of the bridge in December 2022, completing the four-month-long process by March 2023. Reconstruction commenced in April 2023, facing challenges such as steel shortages and plant flooding during fabrication.
While major tasks for the first phase’s bridge opening are complete, minor tasks like painting and lane-marking are pending. The BMC’s bridges department official mentioned that no specific opening date has been decided yet. BJP MLA Ameet Satam expressed optimism that the bridge would open by the month-end, following his meeting with the municipal commissioner to expedite the project.
Additionally, the BMC stated that once the Gokhale Bridge reopens, the yet-to-be-opened Telly Gully Flyover will also be accessible to the public. The Telly Gully Flyover, ready for use, was closed as it connects motorists traveling from Gokhale Bridge to the Western Express Highway. The activist Zoru Bhathena criticized the BMC for the abrupt shutdown, suggesting that keeping one arm of the bridge operational until the new one was ready could have been a more coordinated approach.