GUWAHATI, Dec 28 - The Saraighat rail-cum-road bridge (old Saraighat bridge), which has developed some cracks on the upper deck (road bridge), is likely to be closed for vehicular traffic for up to three months to facilitate the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to undertake repair work after Magh Bihu.
�NFR is planning to carry out massive repair of the road deck in the next few days. Work will be taken up in full swing with round-the-clock activity. As many as 80 identified deck slabs of the bridge will be replaced. After completing the slabs, asphalt layer will be added over the entire bridge after replacing all expansion joints,� said Pranav Jyoti Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR.
�For repair to be carried out, vehicular traffic will have to be stopped for 90 days, as the process will have multiple stages that include fixing of new high-strength steel and high-strength concrete. The traffic department and the local administration have been contacted and it is likely that repair work will be allowed after Magh Bihu,� he added.
During the period of repair on the upper deck of the old bridge, vehicular traffic will be diverted through the new Saraighat bridge � which is a road-only bridge. The new bridge was inaugurated in 2017.
�The commissioning of the new road bridge has also made such planning possible as now there is an alternative path for the diversion of traffic, which was not there earlier,� said Sharma.
The Saraighat rail-cum-road bridge, which was commissioned in 1963, handles a huge volume of road and rail traffic every day. �Although the steel girders of the bridge have been constantly maintained as per laid down schedules and works like steel painting, greasing of supports, have been carried out, the road portion could not be adequately attended to due to the constant presence of large volume of road traffic,� said the NFR CPRO.
�The old concrete joints on the road have started giving trouble, which has resulted in concrete falling off from the slab. As an immediate measure, thick steel plates have been provided to protect the deck slab and also to provide a smooth ride. Such steel plates have been provided at five locations. For permanent repair, the contract for execution of work was finalised by the Railways in November. The selected agency for the repair work has arranged necessary equipment, machinery and manpower,� he said.
There had been apprehensions among the people during the last few days regarding the safety of the structure after some cracks appeared on the concrete surface of the bridge.
�NFR would like to categorically state here that there is no danger to the bridge,� Sharma said.
