Sion ROB closure postponed for third time in 3 months

Sion road overbridge closure postponed for third time, likely to be dismantled after Lok Sabha polls. Reconstruction to cost ₹50 crore, facilitate railway line expansion.

Mumbai: The closure date for the colonial-era road overbridge (ROB) at Sion, which was flagged as structurally deteriorated by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay in April 2020, was postponed for the third time in three months on Wednesday. The bridge is now likely to be dismantled and reconstructed only after the Lok Sabha polls.

The 112-year-old Sion-Dharavi Bridge will be demolished soon to make way for the central railway`s gift and sixth railway line between Kurla and Dadar in order to segregate local train lines from long-distance ones, Mumbai, India. Jan 04, 2023. (Photo by Raju Shhinde/HT Photo)  

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. Dismantling and reconstructing the ROB is likely to take three months and two years respectively, while total cost is estimated at ₹50 crore. The reconstruction aims to facilitate the laying of two additional railway lines between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Kurla on the Central Railway, 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 lines.

The initial date for closing down the ROB was January 20, but it was postponed owing to protests from residents and the intervention of MP Rahul Shewale. February 28 was set as the new date, but this too was postponed as it would cause inconvenience students appearing for board examinations, which were scheduled to end in the last week of March.

March 28 was the third date for closing down the bridge, but this time, the move was put on hold after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), railways and traffic police received a call ‘from the top’ on March 27.

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 parapet wall. Plants and roots have grown on the bridge and the overall structure has been weakened, said sources.

Once the ROB is closed to the public, preliminary work such as removing the asphalt and clearing cables and other structures is likely to take a month. Once this done, dates for implementing the mega block for demolishing the ROB would be decided.