Gokhale bridge reopened to traffic a year after collapse

Movement on the bridge had been restricted after the bridge collapsed on July 3 last year, killing two people and injuring five others

In a major relief to motorists in the western suburbs, the Western Railway (WR) on Sunday fully opened Gokhale bridge at Andheri railway station to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Movement on the bridge had been restricted after the bridge collapsed on July 3 last year, killing two people and injuring five others.

In a major relief to motorists in the western suburbs, the Western Railway (WR) on Sunday fully opened Gokhale bridge at Andheri railway station to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

The reopening of the bridge will also bring relief to bus commuters, as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will no longer have to take a detour from Jogeshwari while travelling between the eastern and western parts of Andheri.

The bridge was reopened after carrying out the repair and strengthening work suggested by IIT-B’s safety audit, confirmed Ravinder Bhakar, chief spokesperson of WR. “The work involved dismantling of a 3.3-metre cantilever old slab on the south and north carriageways. A total of ₹3.34 crore was spent on the repair work,” he said.

The work was carried out in two phases. Repair of the south portion and north portion was undertaken in phases one and two, respectively.

In the 200-page probe report submitted to the railways earlier this year, the commissioner of railway safety (CRS), western circuit, had pointed out that the collapse was caused by an additional load of 124 tonnes of cables and paver blocks.