Mumbai, Jun 3 (IANS): In a feat, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) constructed an east-west connecting road bridge over the Mithi River in a record period of five months and has thrown it open for traffic, an official said on Thursday.

The old and badly-dilapidated bridge, built in 1940, was declared dangerous and demolished in December 2020, BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner P. Velarasu said.

Thereafter, taking advantage of the lockdown, the Bridges Department rebuilt the new bridge at the same location using the latest technology and construction techniques in just five months.

The swanking new bridge is 34 metres long, 24 metres wide and and 7 metres high, and despite hurdles like many staff and workers getting infected by Covid-19, the construction was completed before monsoon as per plans, Velarasu added.

Compared with this, the original bridge was much smaller, measuring 20 metres long, 7 metres wide and 6 metres high on that particular stretch of Mithi River - Mumbai's only freshwater river originating from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park - as it passes near Powai to south and finally merges with the Bandra Creek.

The bridge connected the Filterpada area of the eastern suburbs with Aarey Colony in the western suburbs, making it a critical east-west link for the road traffic in both directions.

The new bridge incorporates a 1.20 metre wide footpath on both sides, 2 metres kept aside for waterlines or other utilities and a protective wall on two sides to escape the fury of the Mithi River which regularly floods during monsoon.