The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has constructed a road bridge over the Mithi River in just five months, setting a record for the civic agency.
The original bridge was in a poor state as it was built way back in 1940. A review late last year found that the bridge was in a dilapidated condition, and was consequently shut for traffic and demolished in December 2020.
Officials from the civic Bridges Department said that they utilized the lockdown to their advantage and constructed the new bridge using new construction techniques, taking only five months before opening it for traffic.
The new bridge is 34 metres long and 24 metres wide with a height of 7 metres. Additional Municipal Commissioner at the BMC, P Velrasu said that officials completed the project in record time despite facing multiple obstacles on its path, especially pertaining to COVID-19 infections among workers.
The bridge now connects the Filterpada region with Aarey Colony, providing a crucial east-west connectivity link for traffic coming from either direction.
The bridge also consists of footpaths on both sides measuring 1.20 metres while 2 metres of space has been set aside for water and other utility pipelines. Lastly, a protective wall has been built on both sides of the bridge to negate the impact of flooding during the monsoon.
