dna special: Mumbai's Grant Road skywalk hits public opposition, may miss deadline

The skywalk at Nana Chowk in Grant Road may not be ready by the end of this year, because locals are opposed to any work on the structure being carried out at night. And the traffic during the day makes it impossible to undertake any work.

The iconic cable stayed bridge, which is already delayed, is proving to be a tough task for the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

Sources said that the installation of two escalators and construction of a staircase is delayed due to several hurdles, including those posed by the civic body.

“The civic body is not allowing excavation work during monsoon. Moreover, other construction work is stuck as locals are opposing work being done at night. And during the day, it is not possible given the heavy traffic, thereby giving us very few working hours daily,” said an official.

The other problem, sources said, was due to the delay in procuring certain equipment from abroad.

Although the skywalk has been partially opened to pedestrians, the oval-shaped portion of the bridge will be ready only after mid-November, except for escalators and staircases out the fire station.

“Ever since this skywalk work has begun, it has become a nightmare to cross the junction.

Construction work has ensured that vehicles get less space on the road, while at the same time, traffic has increased,” said Tanuj Mehta, a resident of Nana Chowk.

Missed first deadline by 4 yrs
Construction work on Grant Road skywalk began back in December 2008 and was scheduled for completion by June 2009 at an estimated cost of Rs74.64 crore

The entire skywalk project in Mumbai has been dubbed a “contractor-driven project” as no feasibility study was carried out prior to its implementation.