Nahur bridge: Phase 1 almost complete

The existing bridge has acquired two ‘arms’ – each one flanking the current structure, and each one carrying traffic in opposite directions

MUMBAI: Phase 1 of the Nahur bridge, an important link in the ambitious Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), is almost complete. Officials say it will be opened to traffic in a month.

While the east-west arm opened to traffic on February 27, the second arm is expected to be opened in April. (Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times)

The existing bridge has acquired two ‘arms’ – each one flanking the current structure, and each one carrying traffic in opposite directions. Eventually, both arms, and a new bridge that will replace the existing central structure, will be consolidated into a single reinvented Nahur Bridge.

While the east-west arm opened to traffic on February 27, the second arm is expected to be opened in April.

The Nahur bridge straddles the railway tracks at Nahur railway station, connecting the east-west suburbs of Nahur, Mulund and Bhandup. In the larger scheme, the bridge links the Eastern Express Highway and Airoli junction on the east-end, with LBS Marg on the west. But with the GMLR zipping through to the western suburbs and exiting towards the Nahur bridge, there was a need to strengthen the bridge.

For Phase 1, work orders were issued in 2018, to add two bridges, one on each side of the existing bridge. These arms will add 2+2 lanes to the present 2+2-lane bridge. In Phase 2, the central section – the old bridge – will be replaced with a new one and all three structures merged into a single, 3+3-lane bridge, with footpaths on either side.

While work on the bridge began in 2019, it was slow. Covid delayed it further, with construction getting a boost only in 2022. By February 2023, in its annual budget, the BMC said the bridge was 70% complete. That year, the Central Railway (CR) completed the fixing of the girders required for the bridge.

“Right now, on the north bridge (west-to-east), which has not been opened to traffic, the railway is still building slabs etc. This will take another month, and then the bridge can open,” said an official from the BMC’s bridge department.

The CR, for its part, explained that placing the girders was very tricky due to the many utilities that had to be relocated. The limited space available for them to launch the girders from the narrow road below also added to the time taken to get the job done.

“The cost of Phase 1 is ₹68.25 crore and Phase 2 ₹23.60 crore, a total of ₹92 crore, according to the BMC.

But while the bridge aims to ease traffic bottlenecks, residents are not all pleased. With some complaints already about the quality of the south-side bridge, which opened in February, others expect it to in fact add to traffic congestion, including the approach roads. “The GMLR will only add to the traffic using the bridge, increasing the demand for the under-construction Bhandup bridge,” said Mulund resident Bharat Soni, who frequently uses this bridge.

“There are a lot of infrastructure projects along the GMLR, going right up to Airoli, which has created a lot of unevenness in the width of the road. This has led bottlenecks all through the day,” Soni added.

The BMC should have had the foresight to first widen the GMLR from LBS Marg to Nahur station and supporting roads, he said, adding, “More cars using the bridge, means more traffic.”

Phase 2 will involve dismantling the old Nahur bridge in the centre and rebuilding it, connecting it with the two new arms, to make it one consolidated bridge, far wider than before. But no dates have been announced for work on Phase 2 to start so far. According to the BMC, it depends on when the CR starts demolishing the railway portion of the bridge. The CR’s spokesperson said it would be taken up after Phase 1 is complete but did not offer a date.