Mumbai: New Z bridge in Matunga likely to be opened by Feb 15

Officials claim it will be bigger, wider than predecessor; locals frustrated over 1-year wait; there are several municipal schools in the area apart from colleges like Ruia, Ruparel, Khalsa, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute and Welingkar, besides a vegetable and flower market and several temples

A year after the closure of the old Z bridge that linked Matunga station on Central Railway (CR) to Matunga Road station on Western Railway (WR), commuters and residents complain of inconvenience and seek answers. The bridge was shut and had been in a poor shape and is now in the final phase of reconstruction.

Railway officials have claimed that the new bridge will be bigger and wider and It is likely to be opened by February 15.

The bridge, a crucial east-west link, was used by lakhs of officegoers, students and locals. There are several municipal schools in the area apart from colleges like Ruia, Ruparel, Khalsa, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute and Welingkar, besides a vegetable and flower market and several temples.

The earlier small open-air bridge stood for almost a century and it abutted CR’s Matunga carriage workshop from where curious onlookers would peep inside the facility. It was featured in Bollywood movies like Seeta Aur Geeta and is also the setting of several ghost stories. Besides urchins haunting it at night, speeding bicycle riders menaced pedestrians. After a mid-day report, the bridge had been barricaded. Its replacement, a completely new structure, is a bit higher and much wider than the older one and does not abut the rail workshop entirely.

Railway officials claimed the new bridge has state-of-the-art features. “It is going to have brighter night lights with better lux levels and a roof, which were not in the original BMC plan but are being installed to avoid mishaps as there is high crane activity in the Matunga workshop area sometimes,” a CR official said.

CitizenSpeak

Mahalakshmi Ravinarayan, senior tutor
Mahalakshmi Ravinarayan, a senior tutor, said, “Ever since the bridge was shut on January 1, 2024, I have been missing my frequent walks from the west to the east for shopping, temple visits and meeting friends. Taking the alternative route via Dadar by changing trains or walking through the labour camp route is very inconvenient. I hope it reopens before the new academic year as students who throng the numerous educational institutions on either side are the worst affected.”

Shreyas Shinde, student
Shreyas Shinde, a student, said that he and his peers had been suffering since the bridge was shut. “We take a detour to reach our homes in the west after attending college in the east. With the Z bridge, it used to be a 10-minute walk. Now, it takes us 30 minutes. We have been suffering for a year now and it is a matter of great inconvenience, especially during the monsoon. We are either forced to take the bridge at King’s Circle or Dadar to cover what used to be a short distance.”

Aditya Rane, architect and transport planner
Aditya Rane, an architect and transport planner, said, “I attended a wedding last month in Matunga and was caught off guard by the Z bridge’s closure. I ended up walking for nearly 25 minutes with my family to reach the other side, navigating a dark, unlit road as no taxis were available on either side. Quite an unexpected and inconvenient experience!”

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