Southern Railway has taken up major repair works on its portion of the Mayor Muthu road over-bridge on Tirupparankundram Road to replace worn-out bearings and to strengthen the piers.
The work was necessitated by the failure of bearings to provide cushioning effect on the beams and the concrete piers, and to stall spalling of concrete owing to water seepage. The superstructure of the more than two decade old bridge required maintenance for sometime now, Divisional Engineer of Madurai Railway Division K.R. Prakash said.
The 10 bearings between the piers and beams that hold the concrete slabs over which the metalled road has been laid have worn out. With no cushioning effect, the strain caused by vehicles passing over the bridge had been transferred to the beams and the piers.
The railways have already carried out strengthening work of the concrete structure. Work on replacing the bearings had been taken up. The repair works would be taken up at a cost of Rs. 17 lakh, he said.
Vehicular traffic on this bridge, connecting Periyar bus stand with Palanganatham, has been diverted owing to the repair works. The first phase of work would be completed by November 19. The second phase of work would be taken up between November 26 and 30.
