The left arm of the Delisle rail overbridge (ROB) in Lower Parel was reopened for traffic on June 1 after a five-year wait and two missed deadlines, providing much-needed respite to drivers and locals alike.
By the end of July, a new arm that faces Currey Road will be operational. However, the BMC has yet to begin constructing pedestrian pathways on the bridge.
Drivers can now access Peninsula Corporate Park from Western Railway Workshop, but they cannot access Currey Road as that side is still under construction, according to officials.
A BMC spokesperson said that the ramp construction, the concretization of approaches to the bridge, and streetlight-related work is pending. Another government representative stated, “The footpath is being constructed outside the girder. The BMC is going to construct four staircases and erect two escalators. This work will be completed soon.”
A vital link connecting Lower Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, and Currey Road in the west with Lalbaug and Byculla in the east is the Delisle ROB. Since the bridge was closed on July 24, 2018, after IIT Bombay deemed it hazardous, traffic in the area has been impacted, especially in Parel, Dadar TT, and Mahalaxmi.
The insider further disclosed that the estimated total cost to open the west arm was INR 60 crore. Depending on the monsoon, the Delisle Bridge project will be finished in its entirety by the end of July.
The insider further disclosed that the estimated total cost to open the west arm was INR 60 crore. Depending on the monsoon, the Delisle Bridge project will be finished in its entirety by the end of July.
For INR 87 crore, WR was given the contract to rebuild the building’s railway component. Approach reconstruction was expected to cost INR 138 crore.
Roughly 87% of the reconstruction work for the Delisle Bridge has been finished, and the final 15% is anticipated to be finished by the end of July. The launch of two girders that were 90 metres long and weighed 1,100 tonnes was the most difficult component of rebuilding the bridge, an official mentioned.
The BMC had previously missed the May 2022 and December 2022 deadlines but had set a goal of finishing the west arm of the project by May 31, 2023. According to the BMC, the project’s delay was also caused by a lack of gravel from Navi Mumbai ready-mix concrete facilities, which hampered bridge construction. Additionally, there weren’t enough water tankers available, which also had an impact on the project.