After years of delays, Andheri’s key east-west lifeline fully opens; politicians hail it as an engineering feat completed in record time; the first phase of the bridge opened in February 2024, and the second phase was declared open yesterday
Nighttime view of Andheri’s Gokhale bridge post its inauguration yesterday evening. Pics/Ashish Raje
After multiple extended deadlines, Andheri’s crucial east-west connector—the Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge—finally opened to the public, with Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar inaugurating it on Sunday.
The first phase of the bridge opened in February 2024, and the second phase was declared open yesterday. Explaining the second phase’s journey, Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said, “We had initially planned to launch the second girder by October 2024 to complete the bridge by April 2025. However, due to delays, the second girder was launched only in December 2024. Despite this, we managed to finish construction by April 26, 2025.”
Engineering marvel
Shelar called the project an “engineering marvel.” “Working over railway lines was no easy task. With a focus on Mumbai’s infrastructure, we’re connecting the city through projects like the Coastal Road, Atal Setu, and Worli-Sewri connector,” he said.
(From left) Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) leader Ravindra Waikar, local MLA Amit Satam, Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar and Shiv Sena leader (Eknath Shinde) Murji Patel at the Gokhale bridge inauguration in Andheri on Sunday
Local MLA Ameet Satam of Andheri West claimed the bridge was completed in a record 28 months after being closed in November 2022. “This is one of BMC’s fastest projects in recent times, made possible by a change in leadership. Previous government delayed tender allocation even after bridge collapsed in 2018—tenders came only in 2020, and work started a year later,” Satam said.
More bridges coming soon
Bangar said that the Vikhroli East-West connector and Masjid Bunder’s Carnac Bridge would be completed before the monsoon—by May 31 and June 10, 2025, respectively.
Civic activism made it happen
Credit also goes to vigilant citizens of Andheri, Versova, and Juhu, who relentlessly followed up on the project until completion. MLA Satam lauded their role in pushing the project forward.
Dhaval Shah, a member of a local citizen group
‘The Gokhale bridge is a classic example of public-government collaboration, tactically supported by MLA Ameet Satam. Between November 2022 and May 2025, we had multiple meetings and made suggestions to fast-track the work. The bridge will now save significant time and energy for lakhs of Andheri commuters’
People Speak
Karan Jotwani, a local resident
‘The full bridge would ease congestion significantly. “It will reduce the bottleneck on the west side and help motorists travelling from Andheri East to Versova avoid halting at the SV Road junction’
Minoo Sukhia, a local resident
‘The completed bridge is a major relief. It helps reduce traffic on other railway overbridges between Vile Parle and Jogeshwari’
2018
Year the bridge collapsed
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