At least 62 bridges in Karnataka need strengthening

, Bengaluru: At least 62 bridges across the state are in dire need of strengthening and the government has not approved rejuvenation works though the issue was flagged by the Planning and Road Asset Management Centre (PRAMC) nearly two years ago. 

While close to 56 bridges were reported to need re-strengthening in 2022, a few others were identified as early as 2020. Senior officials from the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL) said they had conducted soil studies and sent out a detailed feasibility report (DFR) based on the PRAMC report over a year back and have not received a response from the finance department.

"Based on the PRAMC report, we conducted soil tests and a traffic density analysis. Based on the condition of the bridge, we suggested different interventions for different bridges. From the addition of new carriageways to minor strengthening works, a number of technical interventions have been suggested," a senior KRDCL engineer told DH, on condition of anonymity. 

Asked how crucial the works were, considering the recent incident where a portion of the bridge over the Kali river collapsed, sources in PRAMC told DH that a few of them were critical and needed immediate attention.

"A few of them may have the strength to withstand the traffic for a little longer. However, there are a few of them which definitely need immediate attention and they have to be taken up on priority. At least, the officials should make alternate arrangements and close critical bridges for traffic if they are unable to take rehabilitation works immediately," a source in PRAMC, told DH.

Bridge Condition Index 

PRAMC conducts regular inspections of bridges across the state to analyse their strength and stability. The bridges are assigned a Bridge Condition Index which helps determine the need for rehabilitation.

"We have dedicated bridge inspection vehicles to determine the strength. We also took photographs and videos of the bridges and conducted various tests to determine the strength," a  PRAMC official said. 

A rough estimate by KRDCL shows that strengthening of all these bridges could cost up to Rs 1,380 crore. Sources said the project may have been delayed owing to the huge amounts of funds required. While the rehabilitation project has already been delayed, engineers revealed that work might take as long as three years to complete. 

Many of these bridges continue to remain open posing a threat to commuters since they are crucial in ensuring connectivity between districts. 

Many of the bridges are spread across the coastal and northern part of the state, including those across the Tunga river and on the backwaters of Sharavathi in Thirthahalli and Kumudavathi river in Hirekerur. Many fall under Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, and Udupi districts.

'Another bridge on Kali vulnerable'

One of the bridges across the Kali river connecting Sadashivagad to Aurad which is 10 km from the bridge that collapsed on August 7 is also among the bridges that need strengthening. 

Highlights:

- Some bridges in critical condition and needed immediate attention

- A few of them may withstand traffic for a little longer

- If immediate repairs not possible, traffic must be diverted to alternative roads

- Strengthening of all these bridges estimated to cost up to Rs 1,380 crore

- Funds crunch could be a reason for delay in attending to the bridges