HYDERABAD: Decades of wear, rising traffic volumes and visible signs of corrosion have caught up with several of city’s oldest flyovers and bridges. The GHMC has now decided to conduct a comprehensive structural health audit of 24 key flyovers, RuBs and RoBs to assess their safety and identify restoration measures.
The civic body will carry out structural stability assessments, load capacity evaluations and advanced non-destructive testing to determine whether the ageing structures remain safe for public use and can withstand increasing traffic in the years ahead.
The audit will identify defects such as distressed bearing regions, damaged expansion joints, corrosion, voids in girders and other hidden structural deficiencies without causing damage to the structures. Based on the findings, GHMC will prepare restoration and strengthening plans. The structures selected for the audit are Paradise, Patny-Parade Ground, Begumpet Airport, Tarnaka, Narayanaguda X Roads, Basheerbagh, Masab Tank, Telugu Talli Junction, Langar Houz, Panjagutta, Khairatabad, Lakdikapul, Chandrayangutta Old, Puranapul and Nayapul flyovers; Chowni (Basti Dawakhana), Uppuguda, Lalithabagh, YSP Swimming Pool (Yakutpura), Talab Katta, Yakutpura, Azampura and Malakpet RuBs; and Dabeerpura RoB.
Officials told TNIE that consultants would be engaged to carry out detailed investigations and prepare condition assessment reports for each structure. The reports will assess the extent of deterioration, recommend rehabilitation measures and estimate restoration costs. Preliminary inspections have reportedly revealed corrosion and other concerns at several locations.
The consultants will use advanced technologies, including Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) testing and other non-destructive evaluation methods, besides scaffolding-based inspections of girders, diaphragms, piers and pier caps. They will evaluate the condition of individual structural components, recommend suitable rehabilitation techniques, prepare general arrangement drawings and submit detailed reports along with cost estimates for repairs and strengthening works.