On Sunday, May 11, the rebuilt Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge in Mumbai's Andheri area reopened to traffic after being closed for seven years. According to officials, the flyover, often referred to as the Gokhale bridge, is anticipated to improve the east-west connection in the western suburb. When a section of the bridge, which crosses railway tracks, collapsed in 2018, two people were killed and three were injured. As a result, the authorities closed the bridge to traffic and carried out a safety examination of all Mumbai's railway bridges.
Work on both approach roads started in March 2021 as part of the rehabilitation project, which entailed tearing down the old building and constructing a new one. In April 2023, work on the railway rails began. In February of last year, the first section opened, let light vehicles to travel from west to east. After that, the project encountered difficulties.
When it became apparent that the rebuilt bridge next to Andheri station did not line up with the north arm of the connected Barfiwala flyover, which was constructed more than ten years ago, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) came under heavy fire. It also became a contentious political issue. After that, the municipal organisation hired professionals to raise a section of the flyover so that it would line up with the Gokhale bridge. With the completion of the second phase, the entire Gokhale Bridge is now completely operational, having reopened the north arm of the Barfiwala Flyover in July 2024.
At a public event on the flyover, Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar, who is also the guardian minister for the Mumbai Suburban region, officially opened the bridge. Because of the difficulties encountered during construction, he referred to the Gokhale bridge as a "unique example of engineering."
According to BMC, technical experts from Veermata Jijabai Institute of Technology (VJTI) and IIT Bombay oversaw the lifting of the north and south arms of the Barfiwala flyover using jacks and aligning them with the Gokhale bridge approach roads. BMC said the completed bridge would greatly enhance connectivity via Teli Gully between the Western Express Highway in Andheri East and Swami Vivekanand Road in Andheri West. The bridge's overall dimensions are 511 meters by 27 meters, including pedestrian walkways on either side and a three-lane motorway. It is ninety meters over the railway tracks.
Two additional bridges are anticipated to open within the next month, according to BMC's Additional Commissioner Abhijit Bangar, who spoke at the ceremony. He stated that the Carnac Bridge in South Mumbai will open to traffic by June 10 and the Vikhroli east-west link by May 31.