This British-era bridge has been named after India's Operation Sindoor, it is located in...

The reconstructed Carnac Road Over Bridge in South Mumbai has been renamed as "Sindoor Bridge", a nomenclature inspired by India's military action in early May against Pakistan to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack, civic officials said. The British-era bridge will be inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday morning, they added. The east-west connector, earlier known as the Carnac Bridge and named after former Bombay Province governor James Rivett Carnac, who held the office from 1839 to 1841, has been rechristened as 'Sindoor Bridge' (after Operation Sindoor). A senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official told PTI that Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar had written to the civic body recommending the renaming of the ROB as 'Sindoor Bridge' in honour of the May 7-10 military operation against Pakistan's terror sites and air bases.

Old bridge dismantled in 2022
In a release issued on Tuesday evening, the BMC said Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Narwekar, and other senior leaders and civic officials will be present at the inauguration ceremony. The bridge, which connects eastern and western parts of the Central Railway's train tracks (between Mumbai CSMT and Masjid stations) and links to P D'Mello Road, will help ease traffic congestion and improve connectivity in South Mumbai. The Sindoor Bridge was rebuilt by the BMC after the original 150-year-old structure was declared unsafe by the Central Railway (CR) and dismantled in August 2022.

Dimensions of new bridge
According to the BMC, the new structure, constructed as per a design approved by CR, spans a total length of 328 meters, including a 70-meter stretch within Railway limits, and 230 meters of approach roads on either side. It features two steel girders, each 70 metres long, 26.5 metres wide, and 10.8 metres high, weighing 550 metric tonnes, mounted on reinforced concrete piers. Work on the eastern approach, including piling, civil works, and asphalting, was completed in just four months, as per the civic body.

Bridge to ease traffic congestion
The installation of massive girders above the Railway tracks, considered a complex civil and structural engineering feat, was carried out in October 2024 and January 2025, the release said. The reconstructed bridge has successfully undergone load testing, and the BMC has secured all necessary clearances, including structural stability certification, safety clearance, and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Railway authorities, it said. The civic body said the bridge is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion at key intersections such as Walchand Hirachand Marg and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, and improve east-west traffic flow across important routes, including Yusuf Meherally Road, Mohammad Ali Road, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road.

(With inputs from news agency PTI).