This would have been the third cable-stayed bridge in the city, after the one at Bandra Worli Sea Link .
The Western Railway’s ambitious plan to build its first cable-stayed bridge has been stopped in its tracks due to insufficient funds.
Nearly a year ago, the Western Railway (WR) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) planned to build a cable-stayed bridge at a cost of Rs14 crore to replace Carol Bridge at Elphinstone Road, the second-oldest road over-bridge in the city. The bridge connects Tata Mills Compound on the east and Parel ST bus depot on the west.
This would have been the third cable-stayed bridge in the city, after the one at Bandra Worli Sea Link and the one over the Western Express Highway for the Mumbai Metro.
According to WR officials, the total length of the two-lane bridge was to be 100 metres, while the width was to be 70 metres.
There were plans to demolish the existing Elphinstone bridge constructed in 1913, since it does not have adequate space beneath for the new power distribution system which will convert DC power to AC power. The new bridge was to be higher. And since the construction of a regular road-over-bridge would have hampered the passage of local trains as well as vehicular traffic, the WR had decided to opt for a cable-stayed bridge along the lines of the Bandra Worli Sea Link.
A top official revealed that there was a problem of funds, but said it would not affect the new power distribution system being planned. Western Railway chief spokesperson Sharat Chandrayan said the technical solution involved lowering the base of the pantograph on top of new trains. ‘’This will provide the adequate space required,’’ he said.
Parel and Worli residents had also voiced their protest against the proposed bridge as they felt that the project would hamper movement.
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