Just over two weeks after a slab of the Vikramshila Setu in Bihar’s Bhagalpur collapsed, disrupting connectivity between south Bihar and the Seemanchal region, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has connected the damaged sections of the bridge using a temporary Bailey bridge. Two more such temporary bridges are being built on the damaged stretch of the Vikramshila Setu.
The crucial girder installation work was completed on Monday night after BRO teams successfully placed a 50-metre-long and five-metre-wide girder across the damaged portion of the bridge. The girder linked the two disconnected sections of the Vikramshila Setu, paving the way for the restoration of limited traffic movement.
The Bailey bridge will initially allow movement of pedestrians and small vehicles once final work on ramps and decks is completed. Officials have said that the temporary structure is expected to become operational by June 5, according to news reports.
The Vikramshila Setu, which is Bihar’s key bridge over the Ganga river, broke on May 4 after a Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) slab collapsed.
The incident led to a complete halt of traffic movement, severely affecting connectivity between Bhagalpur and the districts in north Bihar.
Following the collapse of a section of the bridge, structural and safety audits were conducted by teams from the BRO, Military Engineering Services (MES), IITs, Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL), and the National Highway Division, reported The Times of India.
Authorities later decided to construct three Bailey bridges on the damaged portions of the Setu as a temporary solution to restore connectivity.
The installation of one Bailey bridge has now been completed, while work on the remaining two bridges is progressing rapidly.
According to The Times of India, nearly 100 BRO personnel, including engineers, mechanical staff, and technical experts, have been deployed for the operation. Iron frames, girder beams, cranes, and other heavy machinery were transported from BRO centres in the northeast to Bhagalpur over the past week.
Bhagalpur District Magistrate (DM) Nawal Kishor Choudhary said that the BRO is working on a “war footing” to restore traffic movement at the earliest.
“The work to build a Bailey bridge on the collapsed section of Vikramshila Setu has started and is being carried out on a war footing by the BRO,” DM Choudhary was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
Officials also said that load testing and safety inspections would be conducted before traffic movement is allowed. The temporary structure of the Bailey bridge could carry vehicles weighing between 20 and 25 tonnes.
Authorities said all three Bailey bridges are expected to be completed by the end of May, after which limited traffic movement for small vehicles and pedestrians will resume.
Source: India Today
