BERHAMPUR: A high-level technical team of the Works department inspected the Haladiapadar road overbridge (ROB) on NH-16 in Berhampur on Thursday. The inspection comes in wake of a tragic accident on the ROB which claimed five lives on January 31.
Amid allegations of the overbridge turning into a death trap with several fatalities reported over the past five years due to alleged flaws in its design and construction, the state government constituted the technical team on February 16 to conduct a detailed review.
The five-member team comprising senior officials of the Works department including chief engineers will carry out a comprehensive technical evaluation of the ROB and its approach roads to ascertain whether the accidents were caused by faulty geometric design, inadequate safety features or maintenance failures.
Chief engineer of the Bridge Survey department Aravinda Tripathy said the committee would submit its report to the state government within seven days. “Our task is to examine whether the construction of the ROB adhered to Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines. Four chief engineers are studying the design in detail. If necessary, another team may be deputed for further inspection,” he said.
Local authorities pointed to what they describe as a ‘hazardous’ design, particularly a sharp curve on the approach road which is believed to be a contributing factor to the high number of accidents.
Chief engineer of Planning, Procurement and Investigation Harilal Agarwal said the sudden turns on the ROB are being examined. “Our primary concern is public safety. If required, the design may be altered and outside experts may also be consulted,” he said.
Construction of the 900-metre-long ROB began in 2008 and it was opened to traffic in 2013. Since then, 26 people have reportedly lost their lives and hundreds have been injured in accidents allegedly linked to design flaws. The bridge reportedly lacks a proper ramped approach road, which residents describe as a major structural flaw.
Notably, the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety has taken cognisance of the frequent accidents on the ROB and sought a detailed report from the Odisha government by March 5.