Hancock Bridge, Mumbai

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 completely demolished in January 2016 for another reconstruction.

Hancock Bridge, Mumbai
Coordinates18.96484°N 72.83867°E / 18.96484; 72.83867
CrossesSuburban railway stations of Sandhurst Road and Byculla
LocaleMumbai
Official nameHancock Bridge
Maintained byMunicipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
Characteristics
Height4.27 metres[1]
History
Construction end1879 (1879) (Built), 1923 (1923) (Rebuilt)[2]
Closed18 November 2015 (2015-11-18)
Location

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 21 centimetres (8.3 in) 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.[5] Demolition of the Hancock Bridge began in November 2015 and the bridge has been closed for pedestrian traffic since then.[7]

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