Mumbai’s Sion bridge is set to reopen this weekend after remaining closed for more than two years, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation saying final works and a traffic police clearance are still pending before vehicles can use the rebuilt crossing.
The new Sion bridge will serve as an East-West connector in one of Mumbai’s high-footfall areas and is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore jointly by the BMC and Central Railway. The replacement structure will be 61 metres long, compared with 40 metres for the earlier bridge, and will provide four vehicular lanes instead of two.
A dedicated footpath will connect the bridge to Sion railway station, while an underpass is planned to support both vehicular and pedestrian movement. The additional lanes and pedestrian link are intended to restore a key connection for commuters and local traffic around the station once the facility is opened.
A civic official said the BMC had set an October 15 deadline for opening the bridge and that load testing had been completed the previous week. “At present last moment ancillary works remain; once they are completed and the traffic police department issues an NOC, this bridge will be opened for vehicular movement,” the official said.
The bridge replaces the Sion Railway Over Bridge, which was built in 1912. Its reconstruction followed a structural audit conducted in 2019 that flagged the old structure’s precarious condition. The bridge was subsequently demolished, leaving commuters and local users to manage the disruption caused by the loss of a direct crossing.
Construction milestones have included the launching of steel beams in July. Work on the eastern approach began last month after Central Railway handed over a portion of land to the BMC on August 25, according to the report. The handover was necessary for completing the approach section connecting the rebuilt bridge to the surrounding road network.
The prolonged closure has caused inconvenience in an area used by large numbers of commuters travelling to and from Sion railway station. Sports commentator Harsha Bhogle also urged the authorities to open the bridge at the earliest if it was ready, saying the delay had caused hardship to the public.
The bridge will open for vehicular movement only after the remaining ancillary works are completed and the traffic police department issues its no-objection certificate. The BMC’s stated October 15 deadline is therefore subject to those final steps and approvals.
