In a big relief for commuters in the area, Mumbai’s Gokhale Bridge-Barfiwala flyover is all set to open for public by May 15, nearly after 7 years of delays and several roadblocks as the east-west arm of this stretch has been completed.
Mumbai’s Gokhale Bridge-Barfiwala flyover: Check timeline and cost
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Project starting year: 2018
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Current in-charge: BMC
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Estimated full completion: May 2025
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Cost: Rs 150 crore
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Dimensions: 90 metres long, 13.5 metres wide
Gokhale flyover was closed in November 2022, here's why
The commuters in the local area must be knowing that the Gokhale flyover was closed on 7th November 2022 after it was declared unsafe. The flyover was first set for completion in May 2023, but could not be completed due to multiple delays.
Even as the phase one of the flyover was opened to public in February 2024, however, only cars and two-wheelers were allowed to use it and buses were banned from using it.
Now the Barfiwala flyover is ready for public use, but motorists will still need to make a challenging 90-degree left turn at its western end to proceed towards Juhu, due to construction affecting the road ahead.
Even as the first section of the Gokhale flyover was reopened on February 26, 2024, but the Barfiwala flyover still remained closed because of a significant gap between the two structures. The BMC's bridges department in collaboration with experts from IIT-Bombay and VJTI, began alignment work on April 14, 2024 and by July 4, 2024, partial alignment was accomplished, allowing the Juhu–Andheri (East) segment of the Barfiwala flyover to reopen for light vehicles.
How will Gokhale flyover help commuters
- After the flyover was operational, the flyover will help commuters travelling from the Western Express Highway (WEH) towards the JVPD Scheme signal reach their destination quicker.
- Some of the local said that the stretch will save at least 10 to 15 minutes of travel time and hopefully there will be no more delays now.