The Hancock Bridge was demolished four years ago, after it was declared unsafe
The BMC on Saturday launched the girders by rolling them over the rail lines, in phase. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Four years after its demolition, work on the much-delayed Hancock Bridge finally began on Saturday. Its first section of girders was pushed over railway tracks. It is named after Colonel HF Hancock, who served as a member and also the president of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. The bridge forms a crucial link in the city of Mumbai.
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Major upgrade! After four years of waiting, Mumbai-s Hancock bridge is finally getting in shape. This much was completed on Saturday by team @mybmc and @Central_Railway pic.twitter.com/W7jSp63Phm
— Rajendra B. Aklekar @rajtoday June 14, 2020
The bridge, over the railway track near Sandhurst Road, was originally built in 1879 and rebuilt in 1923. It was declared unsafe by Central Railway in 2015 and demolished in January 2016. The new bridge is 65 metres long, 15 metres wide and weighs 660 metric tonnes. The bridge-s frame was dismantled and transported as parts from Chandigarh, as it could not be transported as a complete frame. A team of engineers will assemble it again with over 20,000 bolts. The cost of the bridge is R52 crore.
The BMC launched the girders by rolling them over the rail lines, in phases, from the east side of Mazagaon. On Saturday, the girders were partially launched over the lines after four hours of work. They have reached half-way. A senior official said that they will be pushed further and reach the west side, in the next 15 days. This development was confirmed by the CR-s chief PRO, Shivaji Sutar.
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