Demolition of British-era Elphinstone Bridge in Mumbai begins

Mumbai, Sep 12 (PTI) Demolition of the more-than-century-old Elphinstone Road Over Bridge (ROB), a crucial east-west link in central Mumbai, began on Friday evening to facilitate its reconstruction.

The British-era bridge connected Parel and Prabhadevi areas.

Mumbai Traffic Police had issued a notification about the closure of the ROB on Thursday and also published an alternative traffic management plan.

The bridge will be reconstructed as part of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector project of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The Traffic Police had earlier planned to close the bridge from April 25. The decision, however, was postponed on the basis of assessment that it would cause traffic congestion and disruptions, especially in Dadar, Lower Parel, Curry Road and Bharatmata areas.

A traffic management plan was devised to minimise inconvenience to motorists before taking a fresh decision.

The existing Elphinstone ROB is 13 metres wide and accommodates only 1.5 lanes of traffic in each direction.

The dismantling will make way for a modern double-decker structure that is expected to significantly improve the east-west connectivity in the metropolis.

The first level of the new double-decker bridge will feature a 2+2 lane carriageway for traffic between Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and Senapati Bapat Road, while the second level will accommodate a 2+2 lane carriageway for traffic heading from the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (Atal Setu) to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL).

The Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector will be 4.5-km long, and have four-lane (2+2) carriageways. It will link MTHL with BWSL, which is a key connection between the city's northern and southern coastal roads on the west coast. PTI KK RSY KRK