Boat to bridge: Madh-Versova link awaits green nod
With a length 2.06 km, the bridge will span the Versova creek between the Versova and Madh jetties. Currently, the quickest way to cross the creek is by boat, taking under 5 minutes and costing ₹10-15, more if there's a bike involved. But this route is not an option for four-wheelers or during the monsoon, when boats can't ply. The alternative is a 22-km, 90-minute-long drive by road through JP Road, Link Road and Mith Chowky.
The Madh-Versova bridge will provide an under 5-minute alternative, at a cost of ₹2,395-3,984 crore. It will also double as a connector to the Versova end of the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road, offering commuters from Madh, Malad and the suburbs another entry onto the Coastal Road, as well as a quick route to Versova.
After remaining dormant for almost 60 years, plans for the bridge were resurrected in 2015 and tendering was done in 2019. 'We've been waiting for this bridge for over 50 years,' said Kiran Koli, a fisherman from Madh. 'Amenities such as hospitals, schools, colleges, etc, are better in Versova and all of us in Madh, Aksa, Bhatti, Erangal, will be able to access them. Even for us fishermen, diesel and ice costs more. Going to Malad for these supplies takes two hours.'
Before plans could gather momentum, the Union environment ministry sent the BMC back to the drawing board, asking them to come up with a design that would minimise the impact on the environment, due to the thriving mangroves in the area.
'This is why we came up with a cable-stayed design, which reduces the number of stilts required. The stainless steel pylon – chosen so to withstand the salty sea air – will stand 100 meters high,' said an official with the BMC's bridges department. 'The alignment too was changed to ensure the approach road at Versova goes on the outskirts of the fishing villages there, so it doesn't affect them.'
With the BMC finally receiving the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) nod from the central government in early 2024, they restarted the tendering process in March, and work orders were issues in September. While the contract cost is ₹2,395 crore, the remaining ₹1,598 crore is for overheads.
'The Madh-Versova bridge is crucial as it takes incredibly long to get there by road,' said Dhaval Shah, co-founder of the Andheri-Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA). 'But the BMC should ensure that road infrastructure at both ends of the bridge, in Versova and Madh, is wide and good enough to handle the volumes of traffic. The bridge will be used by those living in the northern suburbs to get to Versova and further south, as it will offer an alternative to the congested Link Road, even before the Coastal Road project is in full swing.'
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