Mumbai’s Grant Road bridge reopens: Crack only on surface, say officials after inspection

Just a surface crack on Frere bridge, nothing to worry about, say railway and civic officials.

The road over-bridge (ROB) at Mumbai’s Grant Road, on which cracks were spotted late on Tuesday following which it was closed for traffic, was reopened on Wednesday afternoon, after authorities inspected it and determined that the crack was only on the surface and that it was safe.

Civic officials on Wednesday said it was just a surface crack, and that repairs have begun. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

The crack was reported on Frere bridge, which connects Grant Road (west) and Nana Chowk, around 11.10pm on Tuesday, hours after a part of a bridge linking Andheri east to west collapsed on railway tracks following heavy rains.

Since then, vehicles had been diverted to Kennedy bridge.

Both Western Railway (WR) and civic authorities conducted inspections of ROB. “Inspection of the Grant Road ROB was done. It is safe for road traffic over the railway portion,” said Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR.

“It is a surface crack, and it is not a big deal,” Vishwas Mote, assistant commissioner of D ward, had said earlier in the day.

The bridge is closed to traffic currently, and vehicles are being diverted towards Kennedy bridge. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

The diversion had slowed down traffic in the area. “Traffic was slow-moving towards Kennedy bridge,” said a traffic official, who did not wish to be named.