It comes as a refreshing news for the people of Ulhasnagar. The state government has approved Rs 4 crore for the construction of dilapidated Gaushala bridge. Ulhasnagar constituency MLA Kumar Ailani had been following up the case for last few years.
The 40-year-old Gaushala bridge connecting Ulhasnagar railway station and Ulhasnagar Unit 3 would be dismantled and a new bridge, with increased height, would be built by the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) in the coming months.
As per the officials from the UMC, the bridge that is above Waldhuni River that connects the railway station and Dharamdas cow stable and is used by pedestrians and motorists. The bridge now is old and dangerous also gets submerged in water during monsoon.
Sashikant Dayama, a social activist from Ulhasnagar, said, “From last few years there was a demand from the people of Ulhasnagar to dismantle the 40-year-old bridge and build a new one. MLA Kumar Ailani regularly followed up with the UMC officials and state government authorities and finally state government approved Rs 4 crore and the civic body has decided to take up the work. The work order will be issue soon and work on the new bridge will begin.”
Dayama further added, “The bridge is largely used by motorists to connect to the railway station as it is the only bridge on the West side. Every year, during monsoon, the bridge turns defunct, and waste gets stuck in it, so the height of the bridge needs to be increased so that it is protected from flooding and also there is a free flow of Waldhuni river water during monsoon.”
UMC city engineer Mahesh Sitlani, said, “The tender process for the project has been completed and the work order for the same will be issued soon. The work will be finished in 18 months. The pillars of the new bridge will be at least 22m that will allow the river water to flow freely. The vehicular movement would be prohibited by the traffic department once the work of the bridge begins.”
Anurag More, a resident of Ulhasnagar said, “The Gaushala bridge gets submerged under Waldhuni river every monsoon and there is a struggle to reach the station and we are forced to take a longer route. If the new bridge will be of great help for the people of Ulhasnagar. The civic body should have started the work earlier.”
Sitlani added, “The estimated cost for the entire project is Rs 4 crore and the height of the bridge would be increased by 5 feet. There are also plans to develop a pedestrian bridge that connects to the station and the CHM college auto stand and on the priority list.”
