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Hancock Bridge in Mumbai set for revival, will be complete in 3 years
The new bridge will be longer and wider than the earlier one
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be finally reconstructing the Hancock Bridge, which was dismantled in 2016, over Sandhurst Road station within the next three years. More than two years after the 137-year-old Hancock bridge was demolished, the civic body’s standing committee on Wednesday passed the proposal to reconstruct it.
The new bridge will be longer and wider than the earlier one, said officials. The 64.6-metre-long bridge will be reconstructed in a span of 19 months spread over 3 years. The project will cost the BMC around Rs52 crore.
In January 2016, the Central Railway declared the bridge too old and an overhead hindrance for trains, and then demolished it. “Usually, road over bridges are built by the railway authority using BMC funds. But it was decided then that the BMC will be rebuilding it. These projects, however, need approval from the railway authority,” said Sunil Udasi, chief public relations officer for Central Railway.
The Bombay high court had rapped the BMC for the project delay after a public interest litigation complaining about lack of access from Sandhurst Road east to west was filed. Railway officials said motorists had been using the vehicular bridges between Sandhurst Road and Masjid stations and Sandhurst Road and Byculla stations.
Chief engineer (bridges) Shitalaprasad Kori told HT, “We had been following up with the proposal for 2 years. We have agreed to all the conditions put forth by the Central Railway and the bridge will be constructed without hindering railway lines.”
The BMC will issue the work order to Sai Projects (Mumbai) Pvt Ltd, a civil engineering company, which is involved in many railway projects. Sunil Kodnani, director of the company, said, “It will be a difficult project as there are many encroachments in the area. We hope to finish the bridge in time.”
Meanwhile, BJP councillor Abhijit Samant questioned the high price of the work and said the civic body had not negotiated with the contractor at all.
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