The Marthandavarma old bridge on the National Highway in Aluva is expected to reopen on Tuesday, four days ahead of the scheduled deadline, if weather conditions remain favourable, the contractor carrying out the repairs has said. The bridge was closed on October 28 for a 10-day maintenance programme scheduled to continue until November 6.
The accelerated schedule follows severe traffic congestion on the National Highway after the closure. Repair work is being carried out in two shifts with 32 skilled workers in an effort to reduce the travel disruption experienced by residents, commuters and commercial operators in the Aluva region.
Work to remove old concrete and reinforcement from the gaps between sections of the bridge, ahead of strengthening its expansion joints, was completed on Thursday night, according to the report. The bridge has four expansion joints. These are being secured using welding equipment, after which rubber seals will be installed and the sides will be concreted.
Y.K. Atreya, an engineer with Varahi Structural Repairs and Waterproofing Contractors, the Hyderabad-based company undertaking the work, said the three-day curing process was expected to be completed on Monday. The contractor plans to complete the repairs by November 2 and open the bridge to traffic the following day, subject to conditions at the site.
A team of specialist engineers is also scheduled to inspect the efficiency of the foreign-made shock absorber system located beneath the bridge. The inspection and the expansion-joint work are among the key activities being completed before traffic can return to the structure.
The closure has produced congestion on different sections of the National Highway on successive days. On Thursday, the Aluva–Angamaly route experienced heavier congestion, while the Ernakulam–Aluva route had faced significant delays the previous day. Vehicle queues extended from Desam Junction to the bypass flyover between 8am and 11am, with some commuters reporting delays of 30 to 40 minutes.
Traffic police deployed personnel at Edappally and Kalamassery to divert heavy vehicles. Seven police officers were assigned for the diversions, while traffic was managed in two lanes during part of the morning. At one point, vehicles travelling from Ernakulam towards Angamaly had to be held for around 15 minutes after the northbound flow became difficult to control.
The disruption has also affected daily urban activities. Several schools in the city released students early in the evening because of the traffic conditions. Online food-delivery workers said they were unable to accept orders when they were held in traffic for extended periods. Police also arranged for piles of metal and gravel near the bypass junction to be removed after a motorcyclist fell and was injured on the loose material.
A crane has been kept ready around the clock at the bypass junction to remove vehicles quickly in the event of a breakdown on the National Highway. Police have again urged commuters to use public transport as far as possible until the bridge repairs are completed and the structure is reopened.
