40-year-old bridge to Ulhasnagar station to be rebuilt in six months

A 40-year-old bridge connecting Ulhasnagar railway station and Ulhasnagar 3 would be dismantled and a new bridge with increased height would be built by the municipal corporation in the coming months; the bridge is above Waldhuni River, connecting the railway station and Dharamdas cow stable and is used by pedestrians and motorists

A 40-year-old bridge connecting Ulhasnagar railway station and Ulhasnagar 3 would be dismantled and a new bridge with increased height would be built by the municipal corporation in the coming months.

The 40-year-old bridge connecting Ulhasnagar railway station and Ulhasnagar 3 would be rebuilt with an increased height, says the civic body. (HT PHOTO)

The bridge that is above Waldhuni River, connects the railway station and Dharamdas cow stable and is used by pedestrians and motorists. As per the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC), the bridge is old and dangerous. Also, during monsoon, the bridge gets submerged under water.

Tony Sirwani, standing committee chairman, UMC, said, “There was a demand to dismantle this bridge and build a new one for the last several years. This time, the civic body has decided to take up the work. Soon, the work order will be given and work will start.

“The bridge is largely used by motorists to connect to the railway station as it is the only one bridge on the West side. Due to flooding, the bridge has turned defunct and the waste gets stuck in it. There is a need to have a bridge with increased height so that it is protected from flooding and there is a free flow of Waldhuni river water during rainy days.”

As per the civic body, the pillars of the new bridge will have at least 22m distance that will allow the free flow of river water. Once the work of the bridge begins, vehicular movement would be prohibited by the traffic department.

UMC city engineer, Mahesh Sitlani, said, “The tender process for the project has finished and the work order for the bridge will be given in 2-3 days. We expect to finish the work of the bridge in six months.”

“Every monsoon, there is a struggle to reach the station as the bridge gets submerged under Waldhuni river. We are forced to take a longer route to reach the station. The new bridge will be of help if implemented without further delay. The civic body should have started the work by now and finished it before the monsoon,” said Sanjay Valecha, 55, a commuter from Ulhasnagar.

For the entire project, the estimated cost is ₹4Cr. The height of the bridge would be increased by 5 feet.

“We also have plans to develop a pedestrian bridge that connects to the station and the CHM college auto stand. This is also on the priority list,” added Sirwani.