Traffic was regulated on Pamban road bridge (Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge) that connects the mainland to Rameswaram town as a portion of the ‘finger joints’ got displaced following movement of heavily loaded vehicles.
As the protruding joints in the middle of the bridge affected free flow of traffic, National Highways authorities placed barricades and regulated the traffic, sources said. “We will set right the joints on Monday and restore normal traffic,” the sources said.
The joints were designed to withstand 30 tonnes of weight but some vehicles carrying more than 40 tonne weight had passed the stretch recently, causing the damage, sources said. It was, however, not a major problem, they added.
The 2.345-km-long bridge was inaugurated by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on October 2, 1988. The bridge received coats of anti-corrosive paints in 1992 and 2002. It was renovated at a cost of about Rs. 19 crore in 2013.