The Odathurai Road along the Cauvery riverbank was partially closed for traffic on Monday after a portion of the road caved in during excavation of sand for constructing a retaining wall. The work was being undertaken by the State Highways as part of a pending project to relay the road, when the excavation loosened the sand and caused it to cave in, officials of the State Highways said.
A senior official of the State Highways told The Hindu that an earthmover was clearing the sand on the riverbed to facilitate construction of a retaining wall. “The road caved in during the work and the department has been quick to divert traffic and begin repair works”, he said. The official said that the road will be opened for traffic soon.
P. Ayyarappan, a road safety activist, said that the excavation could have proved to be dangerous had there been high traffic in the area. “The engineers must keep close watch on the works to ensure such incidents do not happen,” he said.
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