Gujarat: Four days following the Mahisagar river bridge collapse tragedy that killed as many as 20 people, the government of Gujarat on Sunday approved the construction of a parallel two-lane, high-level bridge at the site. The government has also approved ₹212 crore for the project-related work.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel granted administrative approval to the Roads and Buildings Department for the construction of a new bridge near Mujpur connecting Vadodara and Anand districts.
The state government has set a target to build the new structure in 18 months and the tendering process has been initiated, PTI reported, citing an official statement.
Gujarat bridge collapse
On July 9, several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River after a segment of the 40-year-old bridge near Gambhira village, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed.
The death toll rose to 20 on Friday, while the search for a missing person continues even after four days, officials said.
The old bridge near Gambhira village was a key link between central Gujarat and Saurashtra.
Two lane to be expanded to four lanes
A detailed project report was recently prepared by the R&B Department after a survey.
R&B Department’s superintending engineer NV Rathva said the existing two-lane Mujpur approach road will be expanded to four lanes and widened to seven meters.
A 4.2 km stretch from the highway to the bridge will also be expanded to four lanes, said the superintending engineer, reported PTI.
“The Chief Minister has approved administrative sanction of ₹212 crore for these works,” he said.
The project report stated that “following the unfortunate collapse of the existing bridge, which disrupted connectivity between central Gujarat and Saurashtra and posed challenges for local commuters and students, the chief minister swiftly approved this new project.”
Search for missing person still underway
Meanwhile, the search operation to trace a missing man continued in the Mahisagar River on the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, officials said.
The rescue teams are conducting searches with rubber boats and other necessary equipment, he said, adding that the wreckage of the small vehicles was also salvaged.