ROURKELA (ODISHA): Vehicular traffic on the busy National Highway (NH) 143 was affected for about five hours on Tuesday morning as a slab on the old Bramhani bridge collapsed at Panposh near Rourkela. A chaotic situation developed due to repair of the damaged portion of the bridge.
Traffic started crawling through one side of the bridge allowing vehicles. However, it will take another couple of hours for the congestion to get cleared.
Project director of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Sourav Chaurasia said holes were frequently developing on the bridge because of spalling of deck (slab) due to huge traffic volume and movement of heavy vehicles. He said for a lasting solution, necessary repair work was taken up on Monday night with the replacement of the old Sharia rods and fresh concretisation. As rods fitting took longer than expected and continued till 7 am on Tuesday, concrete works could not be completed.
Chaurasia said local police were informed about it in advance and one portion of the bridge's passage was kept open for traffic, but that was not enough and led to a sudden jam. He said cranes were sent for placing the iron plates on the damaged portion to allow both way traffic and added that the concrete work would be taken up in the night when traffic volume will come down.
The project director said concrete work with the use of rapid setting cement would take about one hour and in the next five to six hours the bridge will be fully ready for traffic. Stating that the repair work will last for six to eight months, Chaurasia said the health of the bridge is in a good shape.
President of the Vedvyas Truck Owners' Association BIjay Pradhan said due to the traffic jam vehicles were lined up above five kilometres on both sides of the bridge till Deogaon and Jamunanaki, while another two km-long jam was noticed till Saw Mill Chowk along the connecting Biju Expressway.
The bridge, the only communication lifeline to Rourkela city over river Brahmani, was built more than six decades ago. However, considering today's traffic pressure it is inadequately narrow. No early respite is in sight for the commuters with the NHAI targeting to complete the entire the NH 143 upgrade project from Birmitrapur to Barkote including the construction of new six-lane Brahmani bridge at Rourkela by March 2021.