Mumbai: Andheri bridge safe, said audit by Railways eight months ago

Just eight months ago, in November 2017, an audit by the Railways of the Andheri bridge that collapsed on Tuesday morning found the structure to be sound

Just eight months ago, in November 2017, an audit by the Railways of the Andheri bridge that collapsed on Tuesday morning found the structure to be sound, with no abnormalities. The audit was done after the Elphinstone Road stampede in September, and was part of a safety study of all footover and railway bridges in Mumbai.

A portion of the bridge at Andheri came crashing down on Tuesday morning. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

Now, following the collapse that injured five people, railway minister Piyush Goyal has asked IIT-Bombay to conduct a structural audit of 445 foot over bridges (used by pedestrians) and rail overbridges (used by vehicles) to find out if there are any flaws in designs and construction. These bridges are spread across the Mumbai suburban railway network, officials said.

“The safety audit of the Andheri bridge was conducted on November 12, 2017, but no abnormality was found,”Goyal said, after visiting the spot. He added that he had discussed the issue with Devang Kakkad, IIT-B director. The survey will be done by the railways and the civic body, under the guidance of IIT-B.

“I have involved the institute in the safety audit, which will be done within six months. If the findings of the report show a design flaw in any bridge or its construction, the railways will undertake the repairs immediately,” Goyal said.