Mumbai: Ten months after the first phase of the Gokhale Bridge in Andheri was opened to motorists, the lowering of the second phase bridge’s girder is expected to be completed by Dec 10. However, the second phase of the bridge remains far from complete, with several critical tasks still pending. Among the works left is the need to fix a misaligned portion of the bridge on the side connecting to the CD Barfiwala Flyover. Civic officials are optimistic that the entire bridge will be ready by the end of April 2025. “So far, a large portion of the girder lowering process has been completed, with a small section left to accommodate the installation of bearings,” said an official overseeing the project. Elaborating on the details of lowering, he said that the girder is expected to be lowered by 8,000 mm, of which 6,900 mm lowering is complete. “Our experience was that the alignment of the portion of Barfiwala Flyover with Gokhale Bridge side, which was made operational, took around three months, and so we think that this time also we should be able to complete the alignment works in three months,” said the officer. In addition to the structural work, a staircase connecting to the bridge is being constructed. This feature was excluded during the inauguration of the first phase and is expected to enhance accessibility once the bridge is fully operational. The delays have drawn criticism from commuters, who have long awaited the completion of this critical link in Andheri. Dhaval Shah, a local resident, said, “Work at the site needs to be carried out at war footing if the entire bridge needs to be made operational by the end of April.”
