Ahmedabad: The Versova Bridge had undergone repairs and was shut for vehicles for a few hours in March 2020. This 50-year-old bridge was first repaired in May 2017 and periodically inspected for further wear and tear.
Motorists from Ahmedabad and Mumbai will have to face traffic snarls as the 50-year-old Versova bridge, built over the Bhayander creek on the Mumbai Ahmedabad National Highway number 8, will be closed from Thursday. The bridge is slated to reopen on 25 September.
The two-lane Mumbai-bound bridge will remain operational during the period.
The 50-year-old bridge was first repaired in May 2017 and periodically inspected for further wear and tear. In March 2020, the bridge had undergone repairs and was shut for vehicles for a few hours.
Vijaykant Sagar, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar Commissionerate, said traffic police have been deputed on the bridge to reduce the chaos, as motorists have been complaining of massive traffic snarls, especially during monsoon.
“Heavy vehicles including multi-axle, trucks, buses and others heading towards Gujarat will have to take the Ghodbunder Road and proceed towards the Mumbra-Kharegaon toll plaza,” said Sagar. The heavy vehicles on the bridge have been banned since Tuesday.
According to NHAI figures, more than 50,000 vehicles use the 49-metre bridge built over the Versova creek daily.
The government had undertaken an inspection of all bridges following the August 2016 Mahad bridge tragedy, in the Raigad district, which claimed 20 lives, after the bridge constructed over the river Savitri collapsed.