Construction begins on Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road

Construction has officially begun on the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road, heralding the development of a cable-stayed bridge designed to seamlessly connect the Eastern Express Highway and LBS Road. The cable-stayed section of the bridge, spanning a substantial 216 meters above the railway tracks, is an integral part of this ambitious project, which boasts a total length of 1.5 kilometres and accommodates three lanes in each direction, totalling six lanes with a width of 11 meters. This undertaking follows the aftermath of the Gokhale Bridge collapse in July 2018, when Central Railway conducted an evaluation to identify structures in need of reinforcement. Consequently, the pedestrian segment of the Ghatkopar road over bridge was closed on July 8, 2018, connecting LBS Road to Eastern Express Highway. Further, due to its nearly 45-year-old age, a ban was proposed in 2019 for vehicles weighing 16 tons or more. To ensure minimal disruption to existing traffic on the old bridge, the construction of the cable-stayed bridge will occur in two phases: firstly, one arm of the bridge will be constructed, allowing traffic to continue using the existing bridge. Subsequently, in the second phase, traffic will be diverted to the newly constructed arm, facilitating the dismantling of the old bridge. This ambitious project is being overseen by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) at an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 billion.