Prajakta Kasale prajakta. kasale@ mid- day. com THE first skywalk in the city is set to be demolished just 12 years after it was built. BMCu2019s Bridges Department has recommended bringing down the Bandra skywalk as engineers think demolition or major repairs of just the staircases wonu2019t make the skywalk fit for public use again. The BMC will build another skywalk in its place.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC) had asked the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute ( VJTI) to do a structural audit of the skywalk after its closure. The institute submitted its recommendation last month suggesting major repairs. VJTIu2019s recommendations included removal of all concrete slabs to decrease pressure on the structure and the demolition of all seven dilapidated staircases. It also recommended more pillars for support, with the distance between any two being not more than 12 metres.
The skywalk, located at Bandra East, is 1.3- kilometre- long with one arm going to Kalanagar via a circuitous route, and another going to Bandra Court via the Anant Kanekar Marg ( station road). The arm going to Bandra Court had the highest footfall in the city. The MMRDA had also cut a 100- metre portion above the Western Express Highway in April 2019 to construct a flyover. It will be asked to rebuild that portion.
We feel that replacing corroded parts of the beams with new ones, welding extra beams and rods to the structure will only add extra load. It wonu2019t yield a better resultu2019 A BMC engineer 2008 Year Bandra skywalk was built by MMRDA
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