The unfortunate incident of the Gambhira Bridge collapse has proven to be a wake-up call for the administration, which has now become cautious regarding the bridges across the state. Likewise, the bridge on the Radhanpur- Mehsana highway that connects Kutch to North Gujarat, is on the administration’s radar, as the Mehsana Roads and Buildings Department has issued a notification to close the bridge immediately.
Apparently, the bridge, which is near Gochnad village of Sami, is in a dilapidated state. The bridge has started to crust over. Moreover, its iron bars are also visible. The bridge, which was constructed in 1965, is free of toll and witnesses thousands of vehicles passing over it on a daily basis.
This age- old bridge is feared to collapse anytime, causing major casualties. To prevent another bridge collapse incident, teams have been created to check the condition of bridges in all the districts of the state, as per orders from Gandhinagar.
The administration has started taking measures such as executing weight checks of the bridges and repairing those in poor conditions. Bridges experiencing heavy vehicle commuting have been ordered to close with immediate effect.
The bridge on Mehsana- Radhanpur highway, being no exception, has been ordered to close down, restricting the passing over of vehicles. Due to the bridge being closed, diversions have been announced to ensure smooth commuting.