Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will complete the connection of the CD Barfiwala Flyover's north-side arm with the refurbished Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge by mid-July, costing INR 8 crore. Based on IIT Bombay and VJTI recommendations, the bridges are aligned by raising spans. VJTI's report suggested raising four spans, while IIT recommended only two. Initial work started only within 90 days, targeting completion by the early of July. The Barfiwala Flyover, built in 2008, was misaligned with the higher Gokhale Bridge, refurbished in the February of 2023. BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani also plans to connect the south-side arm at Vile Parle.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that the connection of the CD Barfiwala Flyover's north-side arm to the newly redeveloped Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge in Andheri will be completed by mid-July. This alignment project, costing INR 8 crores, is being carried out based on recommendations from experts at IIT Bombay and the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI).
According to an official from BMC's bridges department, it will take around 15 days to finish the construction work and another 12 days to open the bridge to the public. The target date for completing all pending work is July 10.
The BMC sought reports from both IIT Bombay and VJTI to assess the feasibility of connecting the two flyovers. VJTI's report, submitted on March 19, suggested that four spans needed to be raised to align the structures, whereas IIT Bombay's report, submitted on April 8, recommended raising only two spans. Following these expert recommendations, work on aligning the flyovers began.
The BMC initially aimed to complete the project within 90 days, hoping to open it to the public by the end of June or the first week of July, just before the monsoon season. The urgency of the project stems from the misalignment caused by the refurbishment of the Gokhale Bridge. The CD Barfiwala Flyover, constructed in 2008, originally linked Juhu with the north-south arms of the old Gokhale Bridge. However, the old bridge was demolished in 2022, and the new Gokhale Bridge, opened to the public on February 26 this year, is six meters higher than its predecessor due to the railway tracks passing underneath.
This height difference resulted in a misalignment with the Barfiwala Flyover, necessitating the current alignment project. BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani directed officials to focus on connecting the north-side arm of the Barfiwala Flyover with the Gokhale Bridge at Dahisar. The decision regarding the connection of the south-side arm of the flyover with the Gokhale Bridge at Vile Parle is still pending.
In conclusion, the BMC, guided by expert recommendations and working against a tight deadline, is on track to merge the two significant infrastructure projects, aiming to enhance connectivity and streamline traffic flow in the Andheri area by mid-July.
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