Work to raze Patripool bridge to start on Friday

Central Railway will start work to dismantle the century-old Patripool bridge in Kalyan, which has been deemed unsafe, on Friday.

The decision was taken during a meeting between the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC), Central Railway and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) on Tuesday. Light vehicles were permitted to travel on the bridge, but will not be allowed to from Wednesday. “KDMC will remove utility wires in the next few days and CR will begin work on Friday,” Prasad Thakur, spokesperson for KDMC, said.

MSRDC officials said they have invited tenders to construct a new bridge, and are waiting for clearances from the Railways.

Sources said CR has taken cognisance of the urgency of the task and might award the contract to the same agency that was tasked with dismantling Carnac and Hancock bridges. “Since the agency has proved its expertise having dismantled two bridges before, it will help us execute the work faster,” a senior railway official said. The bridge spans across 10 railway tracks and it is expected to take at least three months to dismantle it.

According to railway officials, the bridge will be dismantled in sections by removing the asphalt and concrete first and exposing the girders, after which railway blocks will be carried out to dismantle the steel girders and pillars.

While a new bridge was built in 2001, several motorists continued to use the old bridge to avoid traffic. The bridge was deemed unsafe during an inspection by the Railways and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in the aftermath of the Gokhale Bridge collapse. Western Railway has already started preliminary work to dismantle Delisle Bridge, also found to be unsafe.