Mumbai: After multiple extended deadlines, Andheri's crucial east-west connector, the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge, is now set to fully reopen for traffic on May 11—nearly two and a half years after its closure. The full opening follows the completion of the first phase in February 2024. While the project faced delays, its completion ahead of the monsoon offers much-needed relief to commuters across the Western suburbs.

The pedestrian section of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge collapsed on July 3, 2018, tragically claiming two lives and injuring three others. A subsequent audit revealed that the collapsed portion fell under the jurisdiction of Western Railways, prompting the BMC to take up full demolition and reconstruction of the bridge. The bridge was officially closed to traffic on November 7, 2022. Since then, the lack of public transport connectivity in the area has severely impacted daily commuters and school children.

The BMC had initially planned to open two lanes of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge by May 2023 after launching the first girder, but the deadline was repeatedly pushed back due to various delays, including the late arrival of girders from a factory in Ambala.

The contractor responsible for the project was penalised Rs. 3 crore for the setbacks. Although the first arm of the bridge was opened on February 26, 2024, motorists continued to face difficulties due to a misalignment of around 6 feet between the C D Barfiwala flyover and the Gokhale Bridge.

To address the issue, the BMC’s bridges department, with guidance from experts at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), began realignment work in April 2024. The partial alignment was completed and opened to traffic on July 4, 2024. Significantly, the second arm of the bridge is already properly aligned with the Barfiwala flyover, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for commuters.

"Though delayed, we set a firm target to open the bridge before the monsoon to avoid further inconvenience,” said a senior civic official. “The contractor followed a tight schedule to complete the remaining work, and the bridge will be opened for traffic from Sunday.”

Constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 90 crore, the new Gokhale Bridge spans 90 meters, making it the second-longest rail overbridge in the city after the 99.8-meter Vidyavihar Bridge.