‘Rain delayed finishing work' on cable-stayed bridge over Western Express Highway:

Indian Express

11 hours ago

The last stretch of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) corridor, a cable-stayed bridge over the Western Express Highway, is expected to be opened to traffic by August.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has cited ongoing monsoon rains for the delay in completion of finishing works.
The structure, which was originally expected to be ready by the July end, requires about a week of dry weather for final tasks to be completed.
'We are waiting for subsequent dry days to carry out the remaining work. Once the finishing touches are done, the bridge will be ready to open,' an MMRDA official said.
The bridge has already seen partial structural testing. It was opened a short while back this month but had to be closed within minutes when it was found that there was a fault in the electrical connection.
'The electric fault was critical. It could have caused safety issues, so we decided to stop access at once,' the official explained.
The SCLR extension project, which began in 2016, was meant to provide a straight east-west link from Kurla on the Eastern Express Highway to Santacruz just outside the airport on the Western Express Highway.
Although previous phases are functioning, the last cable-stayed arm has been delayed repeatedly.
Originally planned at Rs 450 crore, the project cost has now increased to Rs 650 crore because of design changes and inflationary pressures.
The cable-stayed component features India's first orthotropic steel deck with a rigid curvature.
The 215 metres long, 17.5 metres wide and 1,780 tonnes weighing deck is 22 metres above ground and 9 metres above the existing Vakola flyover.
The flyover is scheduled to decongest Hans Bhugra Marg on WEH and Vakola junctions by facilitating signal-free movement for vehicles between the Eastern and Western corridors.
With the civil works completely over, the rest of the work involves pulling out temporary supports from under the curved arm, installing signage and street lights, surface painting, and detailing piers.
According to officials, landing ramp work is completed, with safety walls also ready.
With the opening of the structure, it will open the entire SCLR and help streamline the traffic movement between BKC, Vakola, and surrounding areas, also enhancing the accessibility to the international airport.