Mumbai: Hancock Bridge still hanging as BMC waits for HC to pass orders

Work on two lanes of the four-lane Hancock bridge is complete, said civic officials. File pic

Reopening of Hancock Bridge near Sandhurst Road station which missed several deadlines over the years has met yet another hurdle as several petitioners went to the courts with different demands. The Bombay High Court has asked that the different petitions regarding compensation and direct access to the bridge be clubbed and asked the BMC to file a response. Though the bridge is ready to open now, this, in turn, has pushed back the demolition of Carnac Bunder Bridge, which has been declared as unsafe and needs to be razed.

Satish Thosar, chief engineer of BMC's bridges department, said, "The work is complete and we were ready to open it on July 15. There are multiple cases including residents' demand for access to the bridge going on in the high court about the bridge. We are waiting for the court's direction to open the bridge."

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The 148-year-old Hancock Bridge was demolished in 2016 after being declared dilapidated and construction started in 2019. The four-lane bridge was scheduled to open before the pandemic hit in 2020, but the work of asphalting and connectivity with roads on both sides took almost two years. The last deadline for opening the bridge was June 15 this year, but Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is still struggling to open the bridge even with only two lanes.

The delay was attributed to a goof-up in the alignment. After placing half the bridge, the BMC realised that a building on Shivdas Chapsi Marg on the west side of the rail track was in the way of the ramp, and had to adjust the plan again. The work on the second half is now in limbo.

"The BMC told the Bombay High Court that they will open the bridge in April 2019, but the bridge is not complete even seven years after it was demolished and no one knows when it is going to reopen. There are already petitions for compensation and now residents of one of the towers have approached the court seeking direct access to the bridge. The opening will remain halted till the court's direction," said Kamlakar Shenoi, an activist who filed a petition for reopening of the bridge.

The initial cost of the bridge was Rs 50 crore, which increased by Rs 36 crore including Rs 11 crore sanctioned in February 2022 for three additional viaducts to give access to adjacent properties. The BMC also plans to demolish 151-year-old Carnac Bunder bridge, which is also in a dilapidated condition, but the work cannot start till the Hancock Bridge is reopened. Though the BMC sought permission from the traffic police to demolish the bridge, it is unlikely as closure of both the bridges, which are important east-west connectors, may lead to a traffic issue in south Mumbai.