Carnac Bridge, one of the country's first bridges over railway tracks, is finally set to reopen on June 10. The old structure, which connected the east and west of South Mumbai, was closed to heavy vehicles in 2014 after being deemed unsafe.
However, the new bridge faced repeated delays, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) now claims it will be ready before the monsoon. The project remained stalled for years despite work orders being issued in 2017.
A later audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that construction had not started, leading to cost overruns. With pressure from the chief minister to finish the work, the BMC now says the project is on schedule.
The situation changed in 2018 after the Gokhale Bridge collapse in Andheri. The incident led to a citywide bridge inspection by IIT-Bombay. This brought attention back to Carnac Bridge, but delays continued. The bridge was closed and then reopened before being finally demolished in 2022. The demolition caused a 27-hour halt in train services on Central Railway (CR).
Obtaining traffic clearance further slowed construction. The BMC took four more years to secure the required NOC. The approval was granted only after the reopening of Hancock Bridge, another South Mumbai overpass.
Once demolition began, removing the steel girders required 50 gas cutters, four high-capacity cranes, and over 500 workers. However, the 19-month deadline proved unrealistic. The BMC’s roads department reported difficulties due to unauthorized structures on both sides of the bridge.
On the west side, there was a jhunka bhakar stall, a gym, a temple, a BEST substation, and a traffic police post. The east side had another police post, a toilet block, hutments, water pipes, old sewers, stormwater drains, and power lines. The BMC had to repeatedly ask local wards to clear the land.
Railway approvals also took time. It was only in October 2024 that the BMC could begin installing large fences. Several railway blocks were required for the process.
In January 2025, while lifting a 400-ton girder, a major issue arose. The structure remained suspended mid-air for hours due to crane cable issues. The CR blamed the BMC for poor planning. The railway block had to be extended, and a worker was injured. The task was finally completed two days later.
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