15 August,2024 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer Surve
The girder laid over the rail tracks at Vidyavihar will provide direct east-west access. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
While the Ghatkopar East-West connector on the Ghatkopar-Andheri link road witnessed a huge traffic blockade, work on the two alternate connectors of Vikhroli and Vidhyavihar has also been delayed due to various reasons. The work on the Vikhroli connector will be completed in March 2025, and that of the Vidyavihar connector will be completed in February 2026.
As per the original plan, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approved the project of the Vikhroli East-West connector in 2018, which was to be completed by October 2020. The deadline was extended till May 2023 as there was a change in the bridge structure design, encroachment, land handover delays, and the pandemic, among other reasons. Later, the work completion date was extended to December 2024. Now the BMC has given an assurance that the bridge work will be completed by March 2025. "There are some technical issues such as land encroachment and land handover. These issues are solved now. The project will be completed in time," said civic officials from the bridges department.
"The work of the Vikhroli connector in the railway limits is 90 per cent complete, while work of approaches is 75 per cent completed. Of the 19 girders, 13 have been placed," said an official. This connector will connect LBS Road and Eastern Express Highway.
Mario Rodrigues, vice-chairman of Bombay Catholic Sabha (Vikhroli unit), said, "Delays in completion of the Vikhroli bridge have caused a lot of inconvenience to the general public, including school children. I hope the authorities speed up the work and take immediate action to complete the bridge at the earliest. At present, work on the Ghatkopar's East-West connector is being carried out. As a result, there are traffic jams during peak hours. "If the work on the Vikhroli bridge had been completed on time it would have served as an alternate route," Rodrigues added.
As for the Vidyavihar East-West connector, the civic official from the bridges department claimed that the timeline was updated because there was a change in the plan of the approach road. As per records, the BMC awarded work of the approaches as per the updated design last year. "The work of approaches halted due to the encroachments and several trees in the area. The issue is resolved now. We have started work and it will be completed by February 2026," said the official.
The Vidyavihar connector has the longest girder (120 metres) over a railway track. There are no pillars on the railway track. The first girder was launched in May 2023 and the second in November 2023. The work of this connector has been stalled for many years. Once this connector is completed, the journey from Vidyavihar East to Vidyavihar West will be completed in 10-15 minutes. At present, this journey takes more than 30 minutes. Also, after completion of this bridge, it will be easy to reach Rajawadi Hospital (Vidyavihar East) from Vidyavihar West. "The work of this bridge should be completed without any further deadline extensions," said Vishal Parekh, a resident of Garodia Nagar in Ghatkopar.
Background
The Vidhyavihar east-west connector was planned in the 1991. The BMC's 2016 proposal for a 400-metre bridge, including a 99-metre girder over a railway track, initially cost Rs 99.98 crore. After modifications, the cost increased to R108 crore. Lengthening the bridge to 613 metres and the girder to 120 metres raised the cost to R178.93 crore, with the project commissioned in March 2018.
