31 May,2022 08:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
Hancock Bridge is the city’s first motorable bridge which is to be assembled and put in place at one go. Pic/Shadab Khan
The new deadline for the completion of Hancock Bridge is now set at June 15. The deadline to open the bridge has already been extended several times. The most recent was before May 31. But, now the bridges department has expressed its inability to meet the deadline and says it will take another 15 days. The work of Carnac Bridge depends on Hancock Bridge, which has been under construction for two years after the first deadline.
The 148-year-old Hancock Bridge was demolished in 2016 after being declared dilapidated. It is the key link for east-west connectivity. The construction began in 2019 and the bridge was supposed to be completed in 2020.
It is the city's first motorable bridge which is to be assembled and put in place at one go. As per the plan, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was to place the entire structure at one go and the asphalting would have been completed by March 2020. "The work halted due to technical reasons as well as due to the pandemic," said an official from the bridges department.
There was a delay also because of a goof-up in the alignment. After placing half the bridge, the BMC realised a building on Shivdas Chapsi Marg (on the west side of the rail track) was in the way of the ramp. The work on the second half is now in limbo.
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The work of asphalting and connectivity with roads on both sides is still going on. "The minor works remain and are in progress. We can open the bridge probably by mid-June," said Satish Thosar, chief engineer of the bridges department of the BMC.
The initial cost of the bridge was Rs 50 crore, which increased by another R36 crore, out of which Rs 11 crore were sanctioned in February 2022 for three additional viaducts to give access to adjacent properties.
The 151-year-old Carnac bunder bridge which is in a dangerous condition, cannot be demolished as it is the only link in the area. It can only be demolished once Hancock Bridge opens for traffic.
"The BMC told the Bombay High Court that they will open the bridge in April 2019, but couldn't construct a 56 metres bridge even seven years after demolition. Now the cost escalated from Rs 14 crore to nearly Rs 100 crore and only half the bridge will be open," said Kamlakar Shenoi, activist. He added that it is complete failure on BMC's part that they weren't able to vacate a building which comes in the alignment of the bridge.
