Metroman E. Sreedharan and internationally-acclaimed expert on concrete structures Prof. Mahesh Tandon were at a loss for words to explain the gravity of the innumerable number of visible cracks on girders and pier caps of Palarivattom flyover, some of them as wide as 3 mm.
A posse of civil and structural engineering experts led by them inspected the flyover, built by Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) in 2016, on Monday. They were shocked to see that shear cracks ranging between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm were the norm all through the length of the four-lane flyover.
At one point, Mr. Sreedharan sat below a low-lying girder which was supported by big metal pieces, probing cracks beneath the surface.
‘Bad structure’
“It is the first time in my entire career spanning over 35 years that I am seeing this many number of cracks, some as big as 0.3 mm. Ideally, no flyover or bridge must have such cracks. Any crack over 0.2 mm means the structure is bad,” said a veteran civil engineer in the team. Even worse could be in store as the cracks may gradually become bigger, when vehicles bearing heavy load pass over the flyover. The vibration and deflection caused by their movement, or even by sudden braking (and the resultant pressure on limited area on the flyover surface) do not augur well for such flyovers which have such cracks all over the structure, he said.
Report expected
Mr. Sreedharan and Mr. Tandon did not divulge details of the inspection, which was done over two hours, to media persons present at the site. “I have only seen the structure. A report will be compiled shortly,” the Metroman said. Mr. Tandon limited his words to “the flyover’s finish is okay,” referring to a coat of grey-coloured paint done over it. Prof. Alagusundara Moorthy, Professor of Structural Engineering from IIT-Chennai, who led a team which did a detailed study of cracks and other anomalies on the flyover, and representatives of RDS Projects, the flyover’s contractor, too were present.
Back at the DMRC office, Mr. Sreedharan and Mr. Tandon held detailed discussions with officials of RBDCK, a subsidiary of State Public Works Department (PWD), KITCO, the flyover’s technical consultant, and experts from a private consultancy in Kochi.
The meeting, which began at 10.30 a.m., lasted up to 3 p.m. Officials of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), which filed an FIR before the Vigilance Court based on its technical findings on flaws in the flyover construction, slack supervision by RBDCK and KITCO and their alleged connivance with RDS Projects, too met the team.
The two renowned experts inspected the flyover heeding to the request of the State government after a meeting convened by the Chief Minister in Thiruvananthapuram a week ago.
Mr. Sreedharan and the VACB had suggested that the flyover be rebuilt if efforts to rehabilitate it by ‘carbon-fibre wrapping’ or similar methods fail.
