District Collector M.Pradeep Kumar’s assertion that the rehabilitation work on the Cauvery bridge in Tiruchi will be completed within the next 15 days has come as a relief for residents of Srirangam and motorists in the city, who had been enduring a torrid time due to the traffic diversions enforced since the closure of the bridge.
On Wednesday, Mr.Pradeep Kumar indicated that the renovation work was nearing completion and the bridge was likely to be reopened for traffic within 15 days. The work is being executed by the Highways Department at an estimated cost of ₹6.87 crore, following persistent complaints from road users over the severe jolts experienced by them while negotiating the expansion joints.
However, with the Department unable to meet its earlier promise of completing the work by January, road users in the city were getting worried as a trip between the city and Srirangam, via the heavily congested Chennai Bypass Road, was proving to be a nightmarish experience for many.
The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic, except two-wheelers, from September 10 and light and heavy vehicles were diverted via Chennai-Tiruchi Bypass Road. The bridge was closed to two-wheelers too from November 20 as elastomeric bearings had to be fixed on the deck slabs.
Sources in the Highways Department said that the bearings have been fixed in all the decks slabs and currently strip seal joint works was under way. “We are executing this work during night hours, since micro concrete is being used for the work and we have to work at low and uniform temperature to avert cracks. This work will be completed within the next few days after which we will remove the old blacktopped surface through milling and lay a fresh BT road next week,” said an official.
Justifying the time taken for the work, the official said the work was being carried out round-the-clock with a strong workforce of nearly 70 labourers. “We are executing the work with utmost care, with emphasis on ensuring quality and proper finishing, even if it entails a few more days of work,” he said.
Residents of Srirangam have welcomed the Collector’s announcement with cautious optimism. “Residents of the city, especially those in Srirangam, have been facing a tough time, while commuting to and from the temple town. The department was unable to fulfil the earlier assurances of completing the work by January; we hope the work will be completed positively by the latest deadline,” said Suresh Venkatachalam, president, Srirangam Nagara Nala Sangam.
Built in 1976, the bridge caters to a huge volume of traffic. In recent years, the Highways Department used advanced guniting method to repair damaged edges at the expansion joints. Yet gaps keep surfacing on the expansion joints of the bridge, causing severe jolts to motorists.
While certain works on the foundation were executed earlier, some more works to protect the piers on the river bed would be carried out after completing works on the structure above. However, this would be carried out after the bridge was reopened for traffic and the flow in the river came down, the official indicated.
