Vashi Bridge

The Vashi Bridge, also known as Thane Creek Bridge or the Second Thane Creek Bridge, is a road bridge completed in the 1990s across Thane Creek, which connects the city of Mumbai to the Indian mainland at Navi Mumbai. The bridge links the suburb of Mankhurd in Mumbai with Vashi in Navi Mumbai, the satellite city of Mumbai. It is one of four entry points into Mumbai (other three being the Airoli Bridge (upstream across Thane Creek), Mulund and Dahisar), and handles traffic directed towards the region to the south and east of Mumbai.

Vashi Bridge
New Vashi Bridge
Coordinates19.061226°N 72.971612°E / 19.061226; 72.971612
CarriesSion Panvel Highway
CrossesThane Creek
LocaleMankhurd, Mumbai
Vashi, Navi Mumbai
Official nameVashi Bridge
Other name(s)Thane Creek Bridge
Second Thane Creek Bridge
Preceded byAiroli Bridge
Followed byMumbai Trans Harbour Link
Characteristics
Total length1837.5 m
History
Constructed byU.P State Bridge Corporation Ltd.
Opened1997
ReplacesFirst Thane Creek Bridge
Location

The bridge replaces the old Thane Creek or Vashi Bridge, built in 1973 and still standing to the north of the current bridge, but now closed to traffic because of faulty construction. As of 2020, it is planned to build a third Thane Creek/Vashi Bridge.

There is also a railway bridge to the south of both road bridges.

History
Vashi Bridges, old(TCB-1) and new(TCB-2)

Old bridge

The first bridge to connect Mumbai to Navi Mumbai was conceived by Adi Kanga and was built in 1973.[1] The bridge is 1,837 metres (6,027 ft) in length and has a substandard three-lane carriageway. Within two years of its opening to traffic, corrosion cracks were noted on the bottom side of the prestressed girders of some spans. This led to a series of extensive repairs including external prestressing. It was simultaneously decided to construct a new bridge to replace the faulty one.

Construction of new bridge

Construction on a new bridge began in 1987 and opened to traffic in 1994[2] (or 1995[3] or 1997[4]). The original Vashi Bridge or the 1st Thane Creek Bridge remains closed to traffic.[5]

Proof Consultants were appointed to oversee each aspect of planning, design and construction. Open foundations were taken into the bedrock with foundation concrete being laid in the dry, with the sea water being pumped out using submersible pumps. The piers in the intertidal zone were protected by epoxy coal tar paint painted on 6 millimetres (0.24 in) thick m.s. plate which was considered as a lost shuttering. The superstructure was a P.S.C. box girder, one for each carriageway, constructed using balanced cantilever cast-in-situ segments. It was constructed by U.P State Bridge Corporation Ltd., and won the most outstanding concrete structure award.[6]

Description

The present Vashi Bridge is a box girder bridge, carrying a six-lane dual carriageway, with a length of 1,837.35 metres (6,028.1 ft) (30 metres (98 ft) downstream). It has several unique features in its construction and design, with emphasis on durability and a formal QA/QC programme.[6]

Third bridge planned

Lane expansion work on Vashi Bridge was scheduled to begin in 2018, with the authorities identifying Larsen and Toubro as the lowest bidder for the contract.[4] A High Court decision cleared the way for construction to proceed in January 2020,[3] but as of January 2021 the new bridge had not started construction. Concerns were raised about the amount of mangroves that would be lost under the current plan, an estimated 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres).[2]

Bridge locations

The old bridge lies just to the north of the present Vashi Bridge, and the railway bridge further south (labelled "Mankurd Vashi Railway Bridge"), can be seen on the map.[7]

The Airoli Bridge is further upstream across Thane Creek, while the 21.8 km (13.5 mi) Mumbai Trans Harbour Link is under construction further south.

See also

References
  1. "The story of Adi R. Kanga". Parsi Khabar. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  2. Naik, Yogesh (4 November 2020). "1.5 hectares of mangroves to be cut for new Vashi bridge". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  3. Naik, Yogesh (13 January 2020). "High Court clears way for third bridge over thane creek". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  4. "Vashi bridge expansion a step closer". The Hindu. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  5. Driving to nowhere, by Darryl D'Monte. Archived at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 March 2006)
  6. "Welcome To UP State Bridge Corporation Ltd". Bridgecorporationltd.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  7. "Vashi Bridge". Google Maps. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
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