The 131-year-old Bellasis Rail Over Bridge (ROB, also known as the Mumbai Central Bridge, will be closed starting June 24 for 18 months. While it's closed, the railway portion will be demolished by the Western Railways, and the approaches will be rebuilt by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Since the closure of the route, the Mumbai Traffic Police has announced a new diversion for motorists. The alternative route is - from Mumbai Central Junction the motorists will go via DB Marg - Navjivan Junction, right turn to Diana Bridge which will end up at the Tardeo Circle Junction. Vehicles going from the Tardeo Circle Junction can use the same route using Diana Bridge - Navjivan Junction and left turn to Dr DB Marg going towards Mumbai Central Junction.
Special instructions from the MTP for motorists include - no parking or halting at both the bounds of Diana Bridge, also called Pathe Bapurao Marg from Tardeo Circle to S.Swaraj Chowk i.e., Navjivan Junction. Similar rules will be applied on the S. Swaraj Chowk as well, the notification by Pradnya Jedge, DCP (south) Traffic said.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, in its report in March, said that the bridge needs to be dismantled and rebuilt. “The traffic over the bridge should be closed with immediate effect and the bridge reconstructed on an urgent basis,” the report said. Followed by that, in May, the railway authorities installed height barricades at both ends of the bridge to prevent heavy vehicles from entering it.
Bellasis ROB connects Dr Anandrao Nair Marg in the east to Vasantrao Naik Chowk in the west. Railway officials informed that the closure of Bellasis ROB will lead to no connectivity to the main booking office of the MMCT station from the west - a temporary lightweight FOB with an escalator on the north will be proposed.
This temporary FOB will be the first of its kind in the Mumbai suburban area, expected to be complete by the end of July. Till this new FOB is ready, the north side footpath of the ROB will be kept open for pedestrians only.
