First girder for Gokhale bridge to be launched on Nov 27

What remains is the checking of the girder and the girder’s launching platform by the railway and the contractor RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) for safety norms, to ensure no harm comes to railway property and commuters

Mumbai: The first girder for the Gokhale bridge, the crucial connector between Andheri West and East, is all ready to be launched on November 27, according to an update shared by the MLA Ameet Satam in the WhatsApp group formed by residents. This was confirmed by a BMC official. The fabrication, assembly and torquing of the girder are complete, as is the preparation and erection of the launching platform, with the exception of a few minor balance works.

The launch of the first girder is as per the schedule announced in the meeting, where a date between November 25 and 27 was floated. The railway blocks required to place the girder will take around a month and be over by December end.

What remains is the checking of the girder and the girder’s launching platform by the railway and the contractor RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) for safety norms, to ensure no harm comes to railway property and commuters. After the railway performs these checks, they. Will grant the necessary traffic and power blocks required for the launching.

“The work on the girder has been completed for the most part for more than a month now,” said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official from the bridges department who did not want to be named. “It is mainly the railway’s checks that are ongoing that have been taking time.”

Hindustan Times had reported on October 26 that the expected date for the opening of the bridge was pushed to February 15, after a meeting with the civic body and Western Railways. A senior railway official had added that one portion of the bridge would be started before the Holi festival in 2024.

The launch of the first girder is as per the schedule announced in the meeting, where a date between November 25 and 27 was floated. The railway blocks required to place the girder will take around a month and be over by December end.

According to the BMC, pushing the girder on the railway portion, moving north and then placing it 7.5 metres below the pillars is a critical task. The girder weighs 1,300 tonnes, making it the first time in the country that a girder of such weight will be lowered by 7.5 metres. Not to compromise on safety, this will be done in consultation with RITES.

The bridge was closed in November 2022, after a routine audit announced it was unsafe after a part of the bridge collapsed in 2018 killing two.