Milan subway bridge to miss deadline: MMRDA

MUMBAI: The overbridge at Milan Subway may not be completed before the monsoon, said MMRDA officials. The railways have told MMRDA officials that the steel bridge needs a special type of corrosive treatment.
The delay will mean the bridge might be opened only in September. "The railways had earlier specified that the anti-corrosion treatment for the metal bridge should include a metallizing coat.The contractor, however, started using a galvanized coat. When the railways insisted on the metalized coat, the work had to restart. This was one of the main reasons for the delay. There were also others like building the gutters on either side of the bridge which were also not complete," said an MMRDA official.
The entire road overbridge is slated to cost Rs 84 crores and the MMRDA had earlier announced it would be ready by this monsoon for the motorists.
The Rs 84-crore project has been behind schedule for several reasons. There were long discussions between the MMRDA officials and the railways over the type of bridge which would be permitted. After much debate a steel bridger over the railways was seen as the right choice. There were problems of resettlement of the shops and commercial establishments in the area. The 160 establishments were resettled with the help of Congress MLA Krishna Hedge
Moreover, a controversy over the resettlement of a madarsa led to further delay of the project. MMRDA officials said that they will decide on whether to open the overbridge to the public when it is ready in September.