MUMBAI: Three pier caps of the under-construction Ghatkopar road overbridge will have to be partially demolished and rebuilt at a higher level after the project's design was changed midway through construction, with around 30% of the work already completed. The revised plan will create a two-tier bridge to separate local east-west traffic from longer-distance traffic between the Andheri side and the Eastern Express Highway.
The three structures -- pier caps R, RP16 and RP17 -- will be modified to accommodate a new secondary road overbridge at the existing road level between Shreyas (LBS) Junction and Pant Nagar Junction.
The existing ROB between Ghatkopar and Vikhroli stations on the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road is being demolished and reconstructed after being declared dilapidated. The original proposal envisaged a cable-stayed bridge as the principal east-west connection.
A senior Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (Maha Rail) official said the redesign was aimed at addressing both present traffic problems and future demand.
"The objective is to ensure that local residents do not have to mix with through traffic or take a longer route simply to travel between Ghatkopar East and West.
Since the bridge is being planned for the next 80 to 100 years, we need to address future traffic requirements now," the official said.
Under the original proposal, the bridge would have had a 2+2-lane carriageway crossing LBS Junction. Residents on the western side, including those living close to the bridge alignment, would have had to travel towards Shreyas Junction, take a U-turn and then proceed towards Ghatkopar East. Similar indirect movement would have been required in the opposite direction.
The revised design provides a lower-level ROB for local traffic. The main cable-stayed bridge will be raised by a few metres and widened to a 3+3-lane configuration to handle larger volumes of through traffic. "Schools, markets, hospitals, the railway station and the ward office are on the eastern side. There is substantial daily movement by residents between the two sides, and the lower bridge will provide a more direct connection for these local trips," the official said.
Ghatkopar corporator Rakhee Jadhav said, "The two-tier bridge will benefit people living in both Ghatkopar East and West. Residents should not have to take a long detour or negotiate heavy through traffic for routine journeys to markets, hospitals, schools or the railway station. The new design will make movement between the two sides easier and more convenient."
