Mumbai: Reconstructed Sion railway bridge to open for traffic soon; expected to ease congestion

Mumbai: Reconstructed Sion railway bridge to open for traffic soon; expected to ease congestion

Mumbai, A newly constructed bridge, which has replaced a 112-year-old colonial-era overpass next to Sion railway station in central Mumbai, is expected to open to traffic soon, civic officials said.

Mumbai: Reconstructed Sion railway bridge to open for traffic soon; expected to ease congestion

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation , the new bridge has a single span of 54.5 metres and a width of 29 metres. Its pillar-free design over the railway tracks will provide sufficient space for the proposed fifth and sixth railway lines between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Kurla, said officials.

BMC's Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar told PTI that the new bridge is expected to open for traffic "soon", though the date is not yet finalised.

According to a few other officials, the bridge will most likely open to traffic in the second half of October and is expected to ease traffic congestion in the Sion, Kurla and Dharavi areas.

The old bridge was declared unsafe following a structural safety audit by IIT Bombay in 2019. Authorities subsequently decided to dismantle it and reconstruct it to pave the way for two additional railway lines under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project.

In the absence of the bridge, vehicles were forced to take detours via the Dharavi bridge, the BKC-Chunabhatti Link Road or the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, leading to congestion in the areas over the last two years.

Once opened to traffic, the bridge will reduce congestion in Dharavi, Sion and Kurla, as the old structure was one of the main east-west connectivity links in the northern part of Mumbai's island city. Dharavi is expected to benefit significantly from the bridge's reopening.

Officials said Central Railway has reconstructed the main bridge or girder section over the railway tracks, while the BMC's bridges department has reconstructed and strengthened the approach roads.

According to the BMC, the entire project is being funded by the railway authorities.

Earlier this month, Bangar inspected the reconstruction work and directed officials to complete the project on priority. He set October 15 as the deadline for completing all works.

The civic body said that although the tender schedule envisages completion by February 2027, Bangar had directed officials to open the bridge before the original deadline.

Central Railway completed concreting of the deck slab on the first 500-tonne steel girder on August 21 and on the second girder on August 29. Work on the crash barriers and the concrete wearing coat was subsequently completed.

According to the BMC, reconstruction of the western approach road, connecting Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg to Sant Rohidas Marg in Dharavi, was in its final stages. A portion of the land on the eastern side was handed over by Central Railway to the BMC on August 25, allowing work on the eastern approach road to begin, officials added.

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