Mahalaxmi Station bridge to be decluttered at a cost of Rs 250 crore

Stepping out of Mahalaxmi station onto the crowded bridge outside can be a nightmare at the moment but this will soon change The BMC plans to build two new bridges over the railway tracks to relieve the station bridge of congestionCurrently every second spent on the congested Mahalaxmi station bridge can feel like hell and it only gets worse because of the usual gaggle of tourists holding up pedestrians while trying to photograph Dhobi Ghat Once the BMCs plans come to fruition though most people wont be able to resist taking a selfie or two on this stretchThe authorities will build a cable stayed bridge resembling the BandraWorli Sea Link towards Haji Ali and a semithrough girder bridge like the Howrah Bridge in Kolkata towards Worli GraphicUday MohiteThe big pictureThe Rs 250crore project will not only decongest the station bridge but will also change the look of the area entirely While the BMC is funding the project the work will be divided between the civic body and the Western Railways since the bridges will cross over railway tracks On one side the authorities will build a 165metre long cable stayed bridge resembling the BandraWorli Sea Link on Keshavrao Khade Marg which connects New Shirine Talkies to Mahalaxmi Racecourse towards Tardeo On the other side a 130metre semithrough girder bridge resembling Howrah Bridge in Kolkata on Dr E Moses Marg will connect Sant Gadgemaharaj Chowk to Famous Studio towards WorliThe plan to construct the two bridges was taken from the suggestions made in the Comprehensive Mobility Plan published in 2015 Based on the report the 70yearold bridge has a high traffic volume with an hourly average of around 2379 vehicles travelling towards Saat Rasta Jacob Circle and an hourly average of 1768 vehicles travelling towards Dr E Moses RoadCivic officials said that while 60 per cent of the traffic uses the Mahalaxmi station bridge to travel towards Worli around 30 per cent use the route to go towards Haji Ali Only 510 per cent of the vehicles use the route to get to Mahalaxmi station Currently it is difficult for people to walk or hail a taxi there because the road is congested Once the other two bridges have been constructed the bridge will largely be used by pedestrians tourists and private cars or taxis which are dropping off commuters at the railway station said a civic official from the bridges department He added that the BMC is planning to prevent heavy vehicles from using the bridge once the other flyovers are functionalPlaying to the galleryWhile the plan is still in its nascent stage officials from the GSouth ward office said that they have been toying around with the idea of also creating a viewing gallery for tourists interested in the 140yearold Dhobi Ghat Currently these visitors many of whom are foreigners hold up foot traffic on the already crowded bridge during their attempts to take pictures of the landmarkWe want to give tourists a proper place where they can stand and view the Dhobi Ghat We also want to ensure that pedestrian movement is not interrupted by these touristsThe drawings for the viewing gallery are being finalised and we will figure out other details of the plan said a senior civic official Under ideal circumstances the construction of the bridges would take around two years However since two government agencies will have to coordinate on the project civic officials expect it to take longer BMC officials said they are planning to float the tender for the project by MayIn the meantime the Corporation will also take up major repairs of Mahalaxmi station bridge to structurally strengthen it at the cost of around Rs 6 crore The tender for this work was floated last year and the work is expected to begin this year It is expected to take around 16 months to completeCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates