Hancock Bridge, Mumbai Explained

Official Name:Hancock Bridge
Crosses:Suburban railway stations of Sandhurst Road and Byculla
Locale:Mumbai
Maint:Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
Height:4.27 metres[1]
Complete: (Built), (Rebuilt)[2]
Coordinates:18.9648°N 72.8387°W

The Hancock Bridge was a bridge in Mumbai located between the Suburban railway stations of Sandhurst Road and Byculla. The bridge was initially built in 1879 and then underwent reconstruction in 1923 before it was demolished in January 2016 for another reconstruction.

History

Hancock Bridge was first built in 1879 during the British India era.[3] It was named after Colonel H. F. Hancock, who served as member and President of the then Bombay Municipal Corporation (presently the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) during that period.[4] The bridge was then rebuilt in 1923.[3]

After demolition in 2016, Hancock Bridge will again be rebuilt by the MCGM while preserving some of its old structures.[5] [3]

Demolition

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 21cm (08inches) between the roof of the train and the base of a bridge.[6] 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.[7]

Notes and References

  1. News: Shashank Rao. Mumbai: With Hancock bridge gone, CR may be able to add more trains. 12 January 2016. Mid-Day. 11 January 2016. Mumbai.
  2. News: CR operates 18-hr mega block to dismantle British-era bridge. 11 January 2016. Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 10 January 2016. Mumbai.
  3. News: Central Railway Operates 18-Hour Mega Block To Dismantle British-Era Bridge. 13 January 2016. NDTV.com. Press Trust of India. 10 January 2016. Mumbai.
  4. News: CR operates 18-hr mega block to dismantle British-era bridge : PTI feed, News – India Today. 13 January 2016. India Today. Press Trust of India. 11 January 2016. Mumbai.
  5. News: Sujit Mahamulkar. Shashank Rao. 135-year-old piece of Mumbai history to be demolished. 13 January 2016. Mid-Day. 3 April 2014. Mumbai.
  6. News: Rajendra B Aklekar. 2 century-old bridges to be pulled down – Mumbai Mirror -. 13 January 2016. Mumbai Mirror. 6 February 2015. Mumbai.
  7. News: Somit Sen. Hancock bridge to close from Wed. 12 January 2016. The Times of India. 17 November 2015. Mumbai.