A gaping hole of nearly two feet in diameter formed on the span of the bridge on the prestigious Vallarpadam container terminal road between Moolampilly and Kothad on Wednesday evening, endangering motorists on the road.
Following the incident, the traffic through one side of the 1-km-long bridge was halted. The concrete and the tarring of the road fell into the waters below probably because of the heavy pressure of vehicular traffic.
As the concrete fell off, the reinforcing iron bars were exposed, posing a great threat to motorists, especially two-wheeler riders. The Varapuzha police, who were informed by the local people around 6 p.m., blocked the traffic on the bridge. One lane was later opened to traffic. The bridge is the longest one on the container terminal road.
Reacting to the serious nature of the incident, Francis Kalathingal, general convenor, coordination committee, Moolampilly, said that it exposed the high-level of corruption in executing large works of the kind.