8 months on, no contractor for work on Oshiwara bridge

Eight months after the bridge over Oshiwara nullah at SV Road in Goregaon was shut for reconstruction, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has still not

Eight months after the bridge over Oshiwara nullah at SV Road in Goregaon was shut for reconstruction, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has still not found a contractor for the work. Residents of the western suburbs have blamed the civic body for the daily inconvenience they have to undergo owing to the delay in reconstruction of the crucial connector between Goregaon and Jogeshwari.

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The bridge, which was found to be under the ‘severely dangerous’ C1 category, has been shut since June 10, 2019. BMC floated tenders for the reconstruction of the 55-metre long link multiple times, but failed to find a contractor. A senior civic official said, “We will float tenders again and hopefully get response.”

The authorities had asked motorists to take the Behram Baug Road, Relief Road, Link Road or western express highway while travelling from Andheri to Goregaon, leading to traffic chaos. Goregaon resident Pratik Shah, who has been taking the bridge for the past 15 years, said, “Everyday between 8am and 11am and 5pm and 9pm, there is severe traffic on this road and the junctions nearby. Those heading towards Andheri face this issue on a daily basis.”

While the bridge is currently only open for light motor vehicles, local corporators said this could be more dangerous. “The bridge is already declared extremely dangerous. This is a crucial connector and we need to take this work up on priority,” said local BJP corporator Sandeep Patel. He said BMC will float tenders again, which will take two months. “By then monsoon will arrive. The work will stop during the rain and it won’t be completed before September. I have written to the administration to speed up the work.”