Dombivli Railway Over Bridge to be opened by December end; commuters fear further delay

After a lot of ambiguity over the completion of repair work of the Dombivli Railway Over Bridge, the KDMC has claimed that the bridge will be open to commuters by

After a lot of ambiguity over the completion of repair work of the Dombivli Railway Over Bridge, the KDMC has claimed that the bridge will be open to commuters by December only as the work of approach road on one end of the bridge is remaining.

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However, commuters who pass by this bridge work have claimed that a lot of the work is pending.

As per the decision made by both Central Railway and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), the work of demolishing the old deck slab and reconstructing it is to be done by the civic body, and the work of repairing the poles and girders by the CR. The demolition work was done in April.

“The repair work of the bridge was delayed due to the five high intensity electric cables. The state electricity board moved the three cables earlier. After this, the work of the deck slab was initiated and completed on October 18. Two cables are yet to be shifted. They have assured to move them soon,” said Sapna Koli, city engineer, KDMC.

She added, “The work of the approach road on one side is over while the other side is under progress and will be completed by December. We have planned to open the bridge to commuters by December end.”

The bridge was shut in September 2019 after it was declared unsafe by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in following an audit. The entire repair work will cost around ₹10.50cr.

As the repair work got delayed, there have been complaints from the commuters regarding the ordeals they face while taking the alternative Thakurli ROB through the narrow lanes in the city. There has been a continuous demand to take up the repair work.

“Even though the civic body has claimed that the work will be over by December end, looking at the amount of work at the site, the deadline will extend to next year. We will protest against the civic authority if the work of the bridge is not completed,” said Sudesh Mahadik, 45, a commuter who takes the Thakurli bridge to connect within the city.

The congestion on the roads returned after lockdown restrictions were removed. “The closure of the bridge has affected us badly. We have been facing congestion on the roads for more than a year,” said Neha Salve, 30, a resident of Ramnagar, Dombivli.

Chief public relations officer of CR, Shivaji Sutar, said, “Major portion of the work from railway has been completed. Only some miscellaneous work is remaining, which will be completed soon.”