Surat: A span of the under-construction elevated metro corridor in Surat has bent down. The span of the under-construction bridge on the Saroli-Kadodara road has developed cracks and has tilted to one side. Iron rods beneath the cement surface are visible due to this damage. To avoid any major incident, traffic movement on this road has been stopped, and vehicles are being diverted to another route. A team from the fire department has been deployed at the location.

Addressing the issue, Colonel Yogendra Singh Chaudhan, General Manager (Civil) at GMRC, said,” This Span No. P 747 to P 748 in East-West Corridor (Saroli to Kapodra) is a segmental box girder span whose final stressing was completed at 1:30 AM, 30-Jul-24. The span was kept under observation for 24 hrs as a mandatory requirement to ascertain its behaviour before release of span from launching girder on to the Pier. During this observation period at 2:00 PM, 30-Jul-24 one segment deformation was noticed. The deformation of bridge is being continuously monitored and is in stable condition. The load of bridge is still on launching girder and hence can be restored back safely to normal condition by following standard procedure for such incidents i.e., the bridge will be destressed and segments will be removed safely and relaunched after recasting the deformed segment. All safety precautions have been taken including traffic diversion. The cause of the deformation can be ascertain only after removal of segment.”

The team from Saroli Police arrived at the site and cordoned off the area to prevent any major accidents. Saroli Police Station PI S.R. Vekaria stated, “We were informed about the incident by a metro official. We have reached Saroli road here along with all the police staff. Vehicles are not allowed to move toward Kadodara from here; all traffic from Surat to Kadodara has been diverted from Pungam. There are discussions about a technical fault in the span during the construction of the metro. We are working to divert the entire route and are maintaining vigilance to avoid any inconvenience to motorists.”

Executive Director of the Metro Project Prashant Kulkarni told the media that they are investigating how the incident occurred. “Currently, the team is investigating this. The reason will be known only after a preliminary investigation. The situation can’t be called alarming at this stage. Traffic has been diverted as a precaution. We are currently lowering the load on the bridge.” DeshGujarat