Mumbai: Andheri’s crucial east west connector- Gokhale bridge has neared its full completion and could be opened to motorists soon. The full opening comes over a year after the first phase was opened in Feb 2024. The civic body was targeting its opening before monsoons to ease commute especially as traffic movement on heavy rain days in the area is known to slow down. A BMC official said, “All major works are completed ,with the exception of minor tasks such as road lane marking, installation of cat eyes, and placement of some direction boards. We anticipate being ready to open for traffic within one to two days.”There are also chances that the civic body may consider opening the bridge fully on May 9 which marks the birth anniversary of social reformer Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who was an integral part of India’s independence movement. The bridge has been named after him. Meanwhile, local residents have said it’s high time BEST buses resume operations on the route.Ever since the Gokhale Bridge was demolished in November 2022, there has been a lack of public transport connectivity in the area they said— something that has especially impacted many school children and daily commuters who depend on the bus service. “The Gokhale Bridge, which remained closed for several years due to reconstruction, is expected to fully reopen. The suspension of several bus routes during this period caused inconvenience to commuters. We request your office to initiate planning for the reinstatement of these bus routes to provide much-needed relief to the public,” said the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association (LOCA) in a letter sent to the BEST undertaking. The first arm of Gokhale bridge was opened on Feb 26, 2924 but owing to the approximately 6ft gap with the connecting C D Barfiwala flyover, the latter became out of bounds for motorists. On April 14, 2024- BMC’s bridges department, under the supervision of experts from IIT-B and VJTI, began work on fixing the approximately 6ft gap between the two bridges. On July 4, 2024 the BMC completed the partial alignment works opened it up to traffic.This time the second phase of Gokhale bridge is already aligned with Barfiwala flyover.Mumbai: Andheri’s crucial east west connector- Gokhale bridge has neared its full completion and could be opened to motorists soon. The full opening comes over a year after the first phase was opened in Feb 2024. The civic body was targeting its opening before monsoons to ease commute especially as traffic movement on heavy rain days in the area is known to slow down. A BMC official said, “All major works are completed ,with the exception of minor tasks such as road lane marking, installation of cat eyes, and placement of some direction boards. We anticipate being ready to open for traffic within one to two days.”There are also chances that the civic body may consider opening the bridge fully on May 9 which marks the birth anniversary of social reformer Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who was an integral part of India’s independence movement. The bridge has been named after him. Meanwhile, local residents have said it’s high time BEST buses resume operations on the route.Ever since the Gokhale Bridge was demolished in November 2022, there has been a lack of public transport connectivity in the area they said— something that has especially impacted many school children and daily commuters who depend on the bus service. “The Gokhale Bridge, which remained closed for several years due to reconstruction, is expected to fully reopen. The suspension of several bus routes during this period caused inconvenience to commuters. We request your office to initiate planning for the reinstatement of these bus routes to provide much-needed relief to the public,” said the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association (LOCA) in a letter sent to the BEST undertaking. The first arm of Gokhale bridge was opened on Feb 26, 2924 but owing to the approximately 6ft gap with the connecting C D Barfiwala flyover, the latter became out of bounds for motorists. On April 14, 2024- BMC’s bridges department, under the supervision of experts from IIT-B and VJTI, began work on fixing the approximately 6ft gap between the two bridges. On July 4, 2024 the BMC completed the partial alignment works opened it up to traffic.This time the second phase of Gokhale bridge is already aligned with Barfiwala flyover.