Reopening of Hancock bridge hits roadblock as BMC awaits HC orders

In its reply in the high court, the BMC has stated that prima facie constructing the ramp doesn’t seem feasible.

Mumbai: Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wants to reopen the Hancock bridge to ease commuters’ woes, residents from the upscale 145-flat Wallace Fortuna society in Mazgaon have moved the Bombay high court seeking direct access to the bridge through a ramp. The British-era bridge, which was reconstructed, was to be opened on July 15 after many hiccups.

Hancock Bridge and Wallace Fortuna Arkade at Mazgaon in Mumbai (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

In its reply in the high court, the BMC has stated that prima facie constructing the ramp doesn’t seem feasible. While a consultant has been appointed for the same, the bridge should be thrown open to ease commuter woes, it said.

The bridge if opened will cut travel time from Mazgaon to Dongri to 2 minutes from the present 45 minutes.

Some well-heeled residents, including Congress MLA Amin Patel, who recently shifted into the society, have filed a writ petition seeking directions from the court to construct a ramp, which would enable direct access for emergency services like ambulance and fire brigade into their society.

The court had last week directed the BMC to check the feasibility of the ramp, prompting the civic body to postpone the reopening of the Hancock bridge.

Speaking to HT, Patel opined that the construction of the Hancock bridge was a disaster in the making due to a lack of proper planning by the BMC.

“The bridge will see a lot of traffic from schools in Mazgaon. There is also no way that the fire brigade can access our society because of this bridge. How will emergency services reach 145 flats with 700 people residing in the society?” he questioned.

“There is no emergency exit and it will result in a disaster. This is a huge issue and the Railways and BMC are not bothered about the traffic management issue or the turnaround for traffic coming from Mazgaon. They have created a big mess and cannot undo it now,” Patel added.

Advocate Amit Jajoo, secretary of Wallace Fortuna society, explained that due to the construction of the bridge, the access road towards their building is barely 4 metres wide.

“A fire brigade requires a 9-metre-wide road and in a worst-case scenario, it is 7 metres. So, we have been following up with the BMC for many years. The civic body had promised us a ramp directly from Hancock bridge to our society. However, when the construction continued they refused to give us any ramp. We have letters from the fire brigade department stating that they need a minimum of 9 metres access,” he said.

Jajoo added that last week the court directed BMC and residents to find a solution on the access to their society. “The court also realised that what the BMC was doing was illegal. The BMC has not clearly stated that it isn’t feasible. They are going to assess and study the feasibility now which should have been done before constructing the bridge,” he said, adding that the matter will be next heard in court on Monday.

The BMC, however, maintains that the Hancock bridge should be thrown open immediately in the interest of commuters.

Satish Thosar, chief engineer of BMC’s bridges department, told HT, “Originally we had planned to construct four lanes for this bridge but we were able to construct only two lanes and the construction of the bridge was completed on July 15. It is 7.5 metres wide. But the housing society moved the court as they wanted direct access from the bridge.”

According to Thosar, the ramp will cause “traffic issues”.

“We have already told the court it isn’t feasible and the ramp isn’t necessary. Our say is that we will study the feasibility but the bridge should be opened,” he added.

When questioned about the complications if the society was given access via a ramp, Thosar said, “There will be direct 90-degree access to the bridge and vehicles coming from the society onto the bridge can be prone to accidents. There is also the issue of height.”

Commenting on the fire brigade’s requirement of access to the society, Thosar said that the BMC was complying with chief fire officer’s (CFO) 6 metres requirement with a 12 metre turning radius for the access road for the society.

“We will also demolish a few structures and broaden the access road for the society. The CFO wanted access for the entry of fire engines which has been complied with. We have not rejected their proposal for a ramp but we have appointed TPF consultant to study the feasibility,” said Thosar.

The total cost incurred for the two-lane bridge is ₹70 crore for the first phase. In the second phase, BMC will widen the lanes by removing structures on that stretch.