RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Commuters travelling between Rajamahendravaram and Kovvur are facing severe hardship due to prolonged maintenance works on the four-lane Godavari fourth bridge, popularly known as Gammon Bridge, where incomplete bearing replacement and annual inspections have disrupted normal traffic flow.
With vehicles allowed to move only on one side of the bridge, congestion has become routine, turning what is considered a shorter and faster route into a frustrating experience for motorists.
The issue dates back to March 25 last year, when a bearing at the action joint near the 52nd pier on the Kovvur-Rajamahendravaram stretch subsided by nearly an inch. Following this, emergency repair works were taken up in May.
To facilitate these works, traffic from Kovvur to Rajamahendravaram was stopped from December 24 to January 8, and later in the opposite direction from January 21 this year.
These intermittent closures have led to mounting traffic pressure and frequent accidents.
During inspections, engineers found that 37 movement and fixed bearings across the bridge had worn out.
Of these, 17 bearings have been replaced so far with the help of heavy machinery, while 20 more are yet to be changed. Whenever bearing installation is underway on one side, traffic is completely blocked on that stretch, forcing all vehicles to use a single lane.
This one-way traffic is delaying the movement of vehicles. In several instances, attempts to bypass stalled vehicles have resulted in collisions with oncoming traffic.
The Gaman Bridge, which spans four kilometres across the Godavari River, has four lanes and a load capacity of 100 tonnes.
It handles around 18,000 vehicles daily and reduces the distance between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam by nearly 50 kilometres.
Roads and Buildings Department Executive Engineer Y. Ravindra, told TNIE the current phase of inspection and bearing replacement works is expected to be completed by February 8. Remaining bearings will be replaced in subsequent stages to ensure structural safety and smoother traffic movement in the long run, Y Ravindra added.