First 92.5-metre girder for new Prabhadevi double-decker bridge to be installed in November

Work on the new double-decker bridge replacing the Prabhadevi (Elphinstone) bridge in Mumbai has picked up pace. The old bridge has long played an important role in the city's movement and has a historic identity. It had become dilapidated and dangerous, and has been shut for about a year. A key step in the construction of the new bridge is now coming up.

According to the plan, the first girder will be installed after Diwali, in November. The girder is 92.5 metres long and extremely heavy. Erecting it safely is considered the biggest task in the project.

The bridge is an essential part of the Worli-Sewri connector under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's (MMRDA) Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project. It is being built by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (Mahrail). About 80 per cent of the work is complete.

The girder will pass over railway tracks, so a formal request has been made to the Central and Western Railway administrations for a total of 62 mega blocks, including 14 joint blocks. Final-round talks between the railways and Mahrail are under way on the block timetable.

Local and long-distance trains of both Central and Western Railway run through the spot continuously, which will make the work quite challenging. Initially, separate blocks will be taken on the tracks of the two railways. Joint blocks will be needed once the girder work reaches the halfway stage. As soon as the first girder is seated on this double-decker structure, the second girder will also be erected. The target is to complete this entire phase by the end of November and December 2026.

The new bridge will run at a height of about 27 metres. It will connect Senapati Bapat Marg and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marg, easing east-west movement. The bridge will have four separate lanes for vehicles. Motorists are expected to get major relief from traffic jams and faster journeys.

Once the girder work is done, the space outside the railway boundary will be freed up. The contractor, J. Kumar company, will then begin the remaining foundation work for the Worli-Sewri connector.

The old Prabhadevi bridge, built in 1913, was closed completely to traffic in September 2025 because it had become dangerous. A firm target has been set to finish the entire work on the new double-decker bridge and open it to the public by 31 May 2027. Once completed, the project will ease Mumbai's traffic.