Will Gokhale Bridge Be Ready by April 2025? BMC Faces Setbacks

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is facing significant delays in the completion of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge, which connects Andheri East and West. The bridge project, which has been plagued with setbacks, missed a critical deadline on November 14, 2024, for lowering the second girder and completing associated works on the railway portion of the bridge. The delay has raised concerns about the feasibility of meeting the previously set deadline of April 2025 for the completion of the southern arm of the bridge. Currently, only 1.25 meters of the required 7.5 meters of work has been completed, further exacerbating doubts about the project’s timely delivery.

Despite the setback, BMC officials have insisted that efforts will be made to complete the work by April 2025, with the administration set to review progress in the coming days. The 86-meter extension of the second girder, which began in September 2024, is a complex operation that has encountered technical challenges, slowing down the entire project. Along with the girder installation, work on the approach road, footpath, and boundary wall remains incomplete, hindering overall progress. Civic officials have indicated that the approach road to the southern arm is being worked on in parallel, and penalties may be imposed on the contractor due to the delay. However, the growing concerns regarding the timeline are shared by local residents. Dhaval Shah, Director of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen Association, expressed apprehension, stating that with just five months until the monsoon season, it seems unlikely that the bridge will be ready before May 2025.

The Gokhale Bridge, managed by Rights Limited in coordination with Western Railway, is vital for easing traffic congestion between Andheri East and West. The installation of the 1,300-metric-ton girder, using advanced cranes in a restricted site space, is a technically challenging task. Once the girder is in place, additional work, including tarring, street lighting, and road markings, will follow. While the bridge was partially reopened in February 2024 to alleviate traffic, the full completion of the project remains uncertain. BMC sources are optimistic that the bridge will be completed by the end of April 2025, though internal sources have hinted that the actual completion date might stretch to May 2025, given the current pace of work.