Juhu connector to Gokhale bridge to be out of bounds till year-end

Mumbai: While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to throw open one lane of the Gokhale bridge in Andheri soon, the decade old Barfiwala ‘Y’ bridge flyover connecting Juhu to the bridge will remain out of bounds till the year-end owing to a nearly two-meter height gap between the two flyovers.

Civic officials said they are in the process of appointing the Matunga-based Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) as a consultant to find a solution. Once VJTI submits its report, the BMC will appoint IIT Bombay to recommend ways to connect the two flyovers, they said. But citizens’ groups and political leaders criticised the civic body, saying it was appointing consultants now though the problem of disparity in height was known since the beginning.

Sources in the BMC said the existing consultant’s plan to connect the bridges was not approved by the proof consultant (consultant approving the designs) as the drawings of the Barfiwala flyover were not available with BMC. “The bridge was built by MSRDC and then handed over to MMRDA. The drawings are not available with either agency. Without them, we do not know how much steel was used and the dead load (fixed weight) of the bridge. Hence, we have to appoint consultants,” said an official requesting anonymity.

Vivek Kalyankar, who has been given additional charge as chief engineer (bridges) said, “Even if the drawings are not available, we can still appoint a consultant and have physical inspection to ascertain the solution. We are appointing VJTI and then IIT Bombay. The bridge will get connected for sure, but I cannot explain the technical details or give a timeline unless the technical report is ready.”

On Thursday, Andheri west MLA Ameet Satam had said that disparity in the height of Gokhale bridge and Barfiwala flyover would be rectified not later than December 31, after consultants submit their reports and recommendations.

Dhaval Shah, founder of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association said that going by a media interview, the former deputy commissioner of BMC seemed well aware of the height difference from day one.

“Why didn’t the BMC take any action for two and half years is baffling. This is causing inconvenience to lakhs of residents and wastage of productive manhours, fuel and energy,” said Shah. “Now, one bridge will be open and the other bridge, which never had any problem, will remain unavailable. Some responsibility needs to be fixed for these glaring lapses.”

Prashant Rane, local leader from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) who lives near Juhu and frequently travels to Andheri east said the BMC was interested in making more money by floating tenders again.

“Did they not know about this problem before? If citizens knew about it, the BMC also knew about it. This is pure corruption, and the BMC’s unwillingness to consider people’s problem. They all know that if they do it slowly, the cost of the bridge will keep increasing.” he said.