Mumbai: The four trees and toilet delaying Sion bridge demolition

Back to square one There was initially a delay in shutting down the Sion bridge to facilitate exams and students but five months after its closure in August 2024 demolition work has still not started and HSC exams are slated to begin in the next ten days Residents are now questioning whether the bridge should remain open and demolition be postponed until after the examsThe closure of the Sion bridge has also increased traffic on parallel bridges in the vicinity from Vakola to SCLR and even the Tilak bridge midday had independently highlighted the issueTrees that need to be removed PicsRajendra B AklekarCurrently a small portion of the bridge and some lanes have been kept open strictly for pedestrians allowing movement between east and west ldquoThe Maharashtra Board exams HSC and SSC are just ten days away While the HSC exams begin on February 11 the SSC ones start just a few days later The BMC and the railways should allow the pedestrian portion to remain open and delay complete demolition now that the project has already been delayed so muchrdquo said a parent of a student from Our Lady of Good Counsel School which is adjacent to Sion stationThe issueAs early as 2020 an IIT structural audit report on the Sion road bridge warned of its dilapidated condition highlighting the dangers of keeping it in use over active railway tracks as its lifespan had expiredThe bridge has been shut for the last five months PicAtul KambleThe railways stated that they had managed to maintain and repair the bridge for three years but further delay in demolition would pose risks to public safety After four years and several protestsmdashincluding from elected representativesmdashthe bridge was closed to the public in August 2024 with only a small path kept open for pedestrian movement The closure has led to traffic congestion from Vakola in Santacruz to Tilak bridge in DadarWhat did the IIT report sayThe IIT report a copy of which is with midday states that the first two Igirders from the north end towards Kalyan the reinforced cement concrete RCC deck slab and the RCC parapet wall are in a dilapidated condition It recommends dismantling the RCC parapet wall and deck slab after implementing all necessary safety measures Additionally the pipeline fixed between the first two girders needs to be removed urgentlyPedestrians using the small portion of the bridge to travel between east and west PicsAtul KambleCentral Railway now plans to construct a new ROB road over bridge in coordination with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 23 crore for CR and Rs 26 crore for BMCDemolition delayedFive months after the bridge was closedmdashcausing multiple road closures traffic diversions and BEST bus route cancellationsmdashno significant demolition work has begun So far only surface digging and barricading have taken placeA small portion of the bridge is kept open for pedestriansThe bridge replacement is not just about road connectivity but is also part of a larger project to lay the fifth and sixth railway lines between Parel and Kurla which aims to segregate suburban and longdistance trainsGround reportmidday visited the site and spoke to stakeholders to understand the reason for the delay It was revealed that several preparatory works remain incomplete before the actual demolition can beginPreparatory works remainRailway officials stated that multiple elements within municipal limits must be removed or addressed before demolition can proceed These include Removal of four trees two on the east and two on the west Relocation of a public toilet at the east edge of the bridge Diversion of drains in the BMC colony west side Diversion of water pipelines Closure of a small underpass and the adjoining roadThe railways have sent an urgent letter to the BMC highlighting these issues and the severe delay in demolitionldquoThere are four trees two in the east and two in the west Additionally there is a public toilet on the footpath highpower cables and electrical utilities that require shutting down the Dharavi underpass Moreover the diversion of the BMC colony drain the road and water pipelines is necessary CR officials have highlighted these multiple obstacles which have stalled demolition workWork on piling and strengthening the sidewalls is currently in progress with only 10 per cent completed so far Train operations need to continue uninterrupted so the bridge must be dismantled carefully without disturbing railway alignmentrdquo a railway official saidLocal MLArsquos commentLocal MLA Jyoti Gaikwad staged a protest at the site last week ldquoThe Sion bridge fiasco is a glaring example of poor planning Over five months have passed since the old bridge was closed for reconstruction yet there has been almost no progress Every day hundreds of pedestrians are forced to risk their safety on a narrow footpath while school children navigate a perilous path to schoolDespite repeated warnings and appeals to the government to ensure proper alternative arrangements for pedestrians and traffic before shutting the bridge these concerns were blatantly ignored Now the painfully slow pace of the project is only adding to the daily struggles of Mumbaikarsrdquo she saidBMCrsquos responseThe bridge falls under two civic wards G North and F SouthA BMC official said ldquoThe process of tree cutting has started and the proposal is awaiting final approval from the Tree Authorityrdquo said officials from G North wardRegarding the toilet relocation an F South ward official stated ldquoBMC needs to find an alternative location and the process will be completed in a few daysrdquoAug 2024Month bridge was shutFEB 11Day HSC exams beginCitizen voicesAkbar Merchant media professional Kurla residentldquoMy daily office commute to Byculla is now 8 km longer and takes an hour each way Traffic on 60Feet Road adds to delays wasting time money and fuel The bridge was shut on July 31 yet work hasnrsquot started in full swing Hope this doesnrsquot turn into another Gokhale bridge episoderdquoRahul Sonar local residentldquoLook at Nehru Road in Vakola Santacruz East Itrsquos reduced to a single lane due to haphazard road concreting With Sion bridge traffic diverted here this road should have been kept free of work but instead itrsquos causing massive jamsrdquoJay Punamiya commuterldquoAfter the closure of Sion station bridge therersquos chaos At least allow the BKC connector for autos and twowheelers until the new bridge is ready It would be a huge reliefrdquoSavitha Rao authorldquoI visited Sion a few months ago The situation is horrible Commuters must get off at Dharavi and walk and I saw many senior citizens struggling There are no consequences for BMCrsquos incompetence apathy and corruption This delay isnrsquot about minor oversightsmdashitrsquos about ignoring the obvious This is happening across Mumbai while residents suffer in the lsquofinancial capitalrsquordquoJitendra Gupta Kurla residentldquoThe lack of coordination between the two public utility bodies is shocking Was BMC unaware that these utilities were obstructing the project and needed shifting Why did they wait for the railways to write to them before taking action Were these issues not discussed in predemolition meetings There is no accountability and delays due to negligence keep stalling the projectrdquoMayuresh Pradhan motoristldquoDonrsquot they realise how crucial the timely completion of the Sion road over bridge is for Mumbai traffic The bridge has been shut for over six months and the situation is worseningrdquo