The construction work on Hancock Bridge will be complete by October 2021, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday. The work was supposed to get over by 2019 but got delayed due to additional changes in the work, the civic body said.
On Wednesday, a proposal for cost escalation in a contract given to RITES (Rail Indian Technical and Economic Service) Limited was tabled before the standing committee for final approval but was not cleared.
The BMC appointed Sai Projects for the construction of Hancock Bridge in October 2018 and RITES was appointed in July 2018. The original cost of the contract given to RITES Limited was Rs 1.80 crore for one year. However, the work was later modified with 751 metric tonne girders (beams) being replaced by 1,375 metric tonne girders.
“This work has led to an increase in cost and duration of the project. Now, the BMC has to pay an additional Rs 1.35 crore to RITES Limited. The new deadline for the work is October 2021,” said a BMC official.
The 137-year old Hancock bridge was demolished in 2016 after it was found to be in a dilapidated state in 2016.