Sandhurst area’s 136-year-old Hancock Bridge was demolished over a year after claims were made that the bridge was unsafe. Ever since the bridge was demolished, people residing in the Mazgaon and Dongri area had to go through a lot of trouble.
People had to cross the railway tracks because no bridge was available to cover the Dogri-Mazgaon distance.
Now, this troublesome walk could get simpler as the army has said a temporary foot over bridge in place of the dismantled ‘Hancock Bridge’ is possible.
The High Court on Friday asked the BMC and the railways to consider the report and find a solution to the issue.
Hancock Bridge was first built in 1879 during the British India era. It was named after Colonel H. F. Hancock, who served as a member and President of the then Bombay Municipal Corporation (presently the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) during that period. The bridge was then rebuilt in 1923.
The demolition plan had been on papers since 2014 as the bridge had become weak and thus limited traffic was permitted. Demolition was also planned in order to facilitate the conversion of the railway electrification along the Central Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway from 1,500-volt DC to 25,000-volt AC which requires a minimum distance of 21 centimetres (8.3 in) between the roof of the train and the base of a bridge. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and Central Railway at the same time stated their intentions to preserve old structures and thus the demolition and reconstruction was being planned accordingly. In 2014, it was confirmed that MCGM would pay for the demolition and reconstruction. Demolition of the Hancock Bridge began in November 2015 and the bridge has been closed for pedestrian traffic since then.
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