Gokhale bridge in Mumbai's Andheri to finally open today after a year of closure

After being closed for over a year, Andheri's Gokhale bridge will finally be opened to light motor vehicles (LMVs) starting from Monday evening. The construction of the bridge, which cost Rs. 90 crores, began in April last year and is expected to be completed by December 2024. The opening of the bridge will be done in phases, allowing both east and west traffic.

However, the opening of the bridge comes after a weekend filled with political accusations between the ruling and opposition parties. Former cabinet minister and MLA Aaditya Thackeray criticized Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for the delayed opening of the bridge's phase one. In response, BJP MLA Ameet Satam stated that curing and mastic asphalt works were still in progress and if Thackeray had shown concern for the bridge earlier, the inconvenience could have been avoided.

On Sunday morning, Satam announced that the bridge would be opened from Monday evening, with the inauguration being done by guardian minister MP Lodha and Deepak Kesarkar. Thackeray claimed credit for the opening, stating that his pressure led to the decision to inaugurate the bridge on Monday. He questioned why Mumbaikars had to wait when the work was completed five days ago.


Satam defended himself, stating that he had already informed on February 22 that there were approximately seven days of pending work. The bridge will be inaugurated on the evening of the 27th and opened for traffic at midnight. Thackeray criticized the delay in opening the bridge on Monday evening, arguing that all the work was complete and it would have been better to open it sooner to avoid inconveniencing motorists.