Anandapur: In a fresh threat to the Baitarani bridge here in Keonjhar district, two central spans of the bridge have got separated with one going down two inches, leaving the commuters here petrified.
This bridge was constructed across the river Mahanadi in the year 1986. It connects National Highway-20 to State Highway-53. The importance of the bridge lies in the fact that it facilitates communication between Keonjhar and Bhadrak districts.
The first threat to the bridge came in the month of July, 2018 in the form of a bearing falling of a central pillar, leaving people apprehensive about the longevity of the bridge. However, the problem was later fixed, albeit in a temporary arrangement.
Repair work was carried out last year, keeping the traffic off the road between June 12 and 16. The joints were repaired as well.
Three and a half months later, a span on a pillar has again gone down.
When asked, assistant officer, PWD’s executive officer Sameer Kumar Adhikari said he was aware about the problem and the same would soon be fixed with consultation with a technical team.
PNN
