The team led by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) inspecting bridges in the city has recommended that the road overbridge (ROB) at Lower Parel be shut for traffic.
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The British-era bridge was inspected last week by the joint team of engineers from Western Railway (WR), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and IIT-B, and was found to be corroded. The team was set up on the directive of Railways Minister Piyush Goyal to inspect bridges on the Mumbai suburban railway section after the Gokhale bridge collapse in Andheri.
Professor Pradipta Banerjee of the IIT-B, who is heading the team, said, “The bridge is in pretty bad condition. We have recommended that it be closed to traffic for now.” Prof. Banerjee said the bridge could carry light traffic, but there was always the risk of heavy vehicles using it when it is not being monitored, and hence they have recommended that it be closed completely.
WR officials said they have called for structural engineers and consultants to rebuild the ROB. “We have asked for proposals for suitable structure and methodology. We want designs that can be executed in the shortest possible time span,” a senior railway official said. WR will look at presentations for the same on Monday.
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WR recently closed the pedestrian portions of the Bandra-Kalanagar ROB and Vasai Road ROB.
The joint team has been inspecting bridges over the last 10 days. Prof. Banerjee said the team’s priority has been to first inspect bridges that have been troublesome and could have issues. The team will inspect around 445 bridges in the Mumbai suburban section.