Study to decide if FOB needed in place of Himalaya bridge at CSMT

The Himalaya bridge near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus was dismantled by Mumbai’s civic body after it partially collapsed and killed six people and injured 31 others on Thursday.

A traffic study on pedestrian footfall and vehicular traffic on DN Road will determine whether a new bridge needs to be built to replace the Himalaya Bridge near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The report, which will be done in collaboration with the Central Railway (CR), will be submitted to municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta in 15 days.

The foot overbridge leading to CSMT Station, Mumbai, collapsed on Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

The bridge was dismantled by the civic body, after it partially collapsed and killed six people and injured 31 others on Thursday.

“The study may even come up with more viable alternatives to the existing bridge. It is better to update our data about the number of pedestrians in the area before simply reconstructing a replica of the old bridge exactly at the same point,” municipal commissioner Mehta said.

“I have asked the traffic department to conduct the study. Over the years, the number and nature of commuters will have certainly changed so the demands of the area may have changed.”

Meanwhile, the civic body has installed a traffic and pedestrian signal at the spot, and punctured the divider so commuters can access BT lane next to Anjuman Islam School when they exit CSMT.

Assistant commissioner of A ward, Kiran Dighavkar, said, “We are seeing so much pedestrian traffic, we will have to increase the time of the signal.”