Mahim Causeway to be widened from 6 lanes to 10 lanes
Mumbai commuters will face a difficult journey between the city and suburbs for the next 36 months as a key bridge is taken down for renovation. The bridge over River Mithi, part of Mahim Causeway, will be replaced with a wider and longer path. The bridge is a critical junction connecting Mahim with SV Road and is used by office workers and those travelling to the airport. The renovation is necessary as the bridge is almost 60 years old, and the work will be carried out in phases over the next three years.
Commuter-alert: get set to renegotiate your commute from the island city to suburbs for the next 36 months
MUMBAI Mumbaikars must brace themselves for a difficult commute between the city and suburbs as a key connector – the bridge over River Mithi, a part of Mahim Causeway – will soon be taken down to make way for a wider and longer path. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has received permission from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to carry out the project, as it is close mangroves and falls under the coastal regulation zone.
The bridge, which meets the Arabian Sea at Mahim bay, is a critical junction connecting Mahim with SV Road. It is used by officegoers and also those travelling to the airport, every day. A 2015 study had stated 50,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day.
The work will commence after monsoon and carried out over a span of 36 months. (See box). Additional commissioner of BMC, P Velarasu, said, “While the present structure is made of RCC, the new one will be constructed with mild steel double to make for an arched bridge.”
According to BMC officers, the makeover was needed as the bridge is nearly 60 years old. Sources in the BMC said after the deluge of 2005 in one of its recommendations, the civic body-appointed Madhav Chitale Committee had suggested the reconstruction of the old bridge so that water could flow back easily into the river. There are four spans under the bridge, which collect garbage brought along with the rain water flowing into the river. The proposal is to create a single span to avoid this snag.
“We had started piling (basic work) a few days ago, but work will start in full swing post-monsoon. The bridge has six lanes at present, which will be converted into ten lanes. Work will be carried out in phases: two lanes on each side will be constructed first and after its completion, the middle structure with six lanes will be pulled down. We have already received an NOC from traffic police,” said a senior engineer working on the project. When the additional lanes are constructed, raw material is likely to spill over to the outer sides of the six lanes, inconveniencing motorists.
However, both the joint commissioner of police (traffic) Pravin Padwal and deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Pradnya Jedge, who is in charge of western Mumbai, said the project plan is yet to reach them. A traffic police officer said this “will create mayhem and a lot of traffic going to city will have to be diverted from T-Junction at Dharavi or via Sion or from Sealink”.
Although the Sealink was supposed to ease traffic, many motorists use the causeway to travel to the island city, to avoid paying the toll.
