Six bridges in western Mumbai suburbs: BMC finalises consultant, proposal to be tabled on Wednesday

The bridges include Madh to Versova Creek Bridge from Andheri to Malad, Marve to Manori, crossing bridge between Malad creek and Oshiwara River, bridge on Ramchandra Nalla in Evershine Nagar at Malad, Lagoon Road to Infinity Mall in Malad and a bridge on Marve Road in Dharwali village.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finalised a consultant to conduct an environment impact study, get clearances and help in preparing bid documents for the appointment of contractors, for its ambitious project of constructing six bridges in the western suburbs.

“The consultant will also help us prepare bid documents to appoint contractors for bridges,” said an official from the Bridge department on Monday.

The consultant will be paid Rs 2.61 crore and will have a 10-month deadline to finish work. On Wednesday, a proposal will be tabled before the Standing Committee for final approval.

According to the proposal, the civic body has appointed Tandon Urban Solutions Private Limited as a consultant for the project. The bridges include Madh to Versova Creek Bridge from Andheri to Malad, Marve to Manori, crossing bridge between Malad creek and Oshiwara River, bridge on Ramchandra Nalla in Evershine Nagar at Malad, Lagoon Road to Infinity Mall in Malad and a bridge on Marve Road in Dharwali village.

The bridges will cut down travel time and reduce traffic jams, officials said. Construction of these six bridges will cost more than Rs 1,000 crore. Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal had mentioned the proposed construction of these six bridges in his Budget speech of 2021-22.

The proposed sites for all these bridges fall under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) area. At a few locations, reserved mangroves and forest patches could also be affected.

Considering these aspects, the consultant will do an environment study, get clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Authority (MCZMA), the Forest Department and the Bombay High Court to remove mangroves.

The bridge between Madh and Versova creek has been in the planning stage for many years. Currently, the distance between Versova and Madh Island is 20 km and accessible by either ferry or road from Kandivali Link Road to Marve and Madh. According to officials, the 1.5-km bridge from Madh to Versova will cut down travel time from 1 hour to 20 minutes.

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