MUMBAI (Metro Rail & Steel): A scheduled strategic block has been planned in the first week of December 2023 for the Gokhale Bridge girder launch, connecting SV Road and Western Express Highway in Andheri. This block is strategically slotted for a brief three-hour window during the night to ensure no interference with regular daytime train services. The Western Railway spokesperson affirmed, “The block for launching girders for Gokhale Bridge is scheduled for the first week of December, limited to a 3-hour duration at night during a planned block period, ensuring no impact on regular train services during the day.”
While specific details regarding the affected train services during the night are yet to be released by the Western Railway, efforts are underway to minimize disruptions to regular train services by executing these blocks during night hours. Sumit Thakur, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Western Railway, conveyed, “We will undertake the blocks during the night to minimize the impact on train services.” The under-construction Gokhale Bridge’s girder is set to span 90 meters, establishing itself as the second-largest railway bridge in the metropolitan city. Each girder of the bridge has been meticulously assembled at the worksite. The girder launch, positioned at a height of 25 meters from the ground level, will require a special crane for lifting, owing to the girder’s weight of approximately 1,300 tonnes.
Originally built in 1975, Gokhale Bridge, spanning 80 meters in length and 25 meters in width, is undergoing renovations with a new road overbridge. The estimated cost for this endeavor is around ₹90 crore. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is intending to partially open the bridge by February 2024, although the initial deadline was set for November 2023.
The need for reconstruction arose after an inspection in November 2022 revealed extensive distress due to corrosion over the years in various elements of the bridge, including RCC columns, tie beams, girders, deck slab, and bearings. Earlier, in July 2018, a pavement collapse on Gokhale Bridge due to heavy corrosion and overload prompted safety concerns, leading to its closure and subsequent demolition by Western Railway in December 2022, concluding in March the following year.
Additionally, on November 22, the Western Railway announced the cancellation of several trains between Valsad and Dungri on November 23. This cancellation, affecting both Up and Down main lines for two hours from 11:10 AM to 1:10 PM, was attributed to a girder launch for a railway overbridge along this stretch.
