Mumbai: Two Misaligned Bridges, Barfiwala And Gokhale, Finally Linked After Two-Year Gap

The Gokhale Bridge in Mumbai, which was reopened to the public on February 26 after two years, brought initial relief to Andheri residents by easing traffic congestion and providing a crucial east-west link. However, commuters quickly discovered a major flaw: a six-foot gap between the bridge and the connecting CD Barfiwala Bridge. 

This gap led to a flood of memes and sharp criticism from the opposition. In response, the Brhianmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that it had “completed the challenging work” of bridging this gap in 78 days. 

🌉 The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has completed the challenging work of connecting the C. D. Barfiwala Flyover and Gopalkrishna Gokhale Flyover for travel between Andheri East and West, in a record-breaking 78 days.

⏩ As per the instructions of the Traffic Police,… pic.twitter.com/wOoZvDUt3B

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) July 1, 2024

Despite this effort, the BMC’s announcement was met with sarcasm from residents. One Mumbaikar tweeted, “Gazab hai, delay ko record-breaking bolte hai” (This is amazing, a delay is being called record-beaking). Another user remarked, “Congratulations! This work must be nominated to the Museum of Science”. A third user commented, “And once in use, in a record-breaking 78 minutes we will see potholes on it!”

The Gokhale Bridge had been closed to vehicular traffic since November 2022 due to its poor condition. A section of the bridge had collapsed in 2018, resulting in two deaths. 

When the bridge reopened in February, commuters were frustrated to find a significant gap between it and the CD BBarfiwala flyover. The alignment of these two structures was crucial for commuters travelling from Juhu to Andheri East or the Western Express Highway, as it helped them avoid congestion on SV Road. 

Work to align the bridge and the flyover began in April, reportedly costing Rs 8 crore. Hydraulic jacks were used to lift two spans of girders necessary to merge the alignment of the two structures. 

The issue sparked a political blame game between the ruling Mahayuti government led by Eknath Sinde and the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Anand Dubey of Shiv Sena (UBT) criticised the government, stating, “There is a height difference of 1.5 metres between the bridges. What does the government want? Do they expect Mumbaikars to make a long jump and reach the flyover? The state government is not only careless but has also cheated Mumbaikars”. 

Aaditya Thackeray also criticised the project, calling it a “half-ready, embarrassingly delayed bridge” resulting from a corrupt regime. “Truly a fist in India, probably in the world, that the two bridges that were to be joined have a difference of 6 feet in height between the two!” he tweeted. 

The Eknath Shinde faction od the Shiv Sena defended itself by attributing the misalignment to the Railways’ new policy. The Shinde Sena stated that the new policy required the Gokhale Bridge to be raised by an additional 1.5 metres because it was being built over railway tracks.