Sion ROB closed for heavy vehicles from Friday midnight

Central Railway proposes heavy vehicle restriction on Sion ROB from June 21-22 due to safety concerns. IIT Mumbai declares bridge unsafe, calls for urgent action.

Mumbai: The Central Railway (CR) has proposed the restriction of heavy vehicles on the Sion Road Over Bridge (ROB) as a safety measure from midnight of June 21 to 22. According to CR officials, the ROB is presently in a state of distress and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai in their structural audit report has declared the ROB as unsafe. Sources said it needs urgent action to ensure safety and proposed to install height gauges of up to 3.60 meters on both ends of the approach road of this ROB.

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“We have requested the Traffic department to issue suitable traffic regulations for the road users. The Sion ROB, apart from being in a poor state is also infringing the proposed 5th and 6th rail lines between CSMT-Kurla and hence it was scheduled to be dismantled and reconstructed,” said a CR official.

Dating back to 1912, the ROB is a vital link between Dharavi, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg and the Eastern Express Highway, whose closure will disrupt east-west traffic and necessitate the rerouting of motorists through Kurla. Since January, the shutdown of Sion ROB has been postponed thrice despite CR making complete plans.

The reconstruction aims to facilitate the laying of two additional railway lines between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kurla on the CR, which will help segregate mail/express and suburban trains. The span of girders in the ROB needs to be increased from the existing 30 metres to 49 metres to accommodate the additional rail lines.

In its audit report, IIT-Bombay highlighted the structural deterioration of the ROB, particularly in the first two I-girders, the reinforced cement concrete deck slab and the parapet wall. Plants and roots have grown on the bridge and the overall structure has been weakened.