Gurupriya bridge enters final construction phase
MALKANGIRI: With erection of the last steel girder between P13 and P14 span on Tuesday night, the much-awaited Gurupriya bridge project, considered to be the lifeline for people residing in the cut-off region on the other side of Chitrakonda reservoir, has entered the last phase of construction work.
Informing this, Bhubaneswar-based Executive Engineer (Design & Project) of Works department Dr N C Pal said the bridge would be opened for vehicular traffic after 15 days. With this, erection of all the 18 steel girders has been completed. Earlier, work on all the 48 prestressed concrete girders, 136 piles and 23 piers, on which the bridge will rest, has already been completed, he added.
Denying media report of bending of two of the six-group piles of P16 located in the deep water zone, Pal said the report is fabricated. All the six piles of P16 and others have been embedded inside the hardrock and these are safe for movement of loaded vehicles, he added.
He claimed that nowhere in the country, box-type steel girders measuring 62 metres have been used in bridge construction. The longest ever box-type steel girder of 62 metres has been used in Gurupriya bridge, he added.
Project Manager of Kolkata-based Royal Infraconstru Limited Niranjan Kumar said the bridge will open for public after 15 days with the completion of casting of deck slabs between P13 and P14 where the 62-metre long last steel girder was placed on Tuesday.
Collector Manish Agarwal said now the bridge has entered the last phase of work. Once opened, it will speed up development process and help the region shed its cut-off tag, he added.
