Experts ask PMC to ban heavy vehicles on Dengle bridge

The consultant opined that the thickness of the footing is too small for the bridge’s safety. “After discussions with experts and civic officers, it has been decided to take care of footing foundations and the strata below the foundation by precision drilling,” said XCC Engineers and Planners in their report to PMC.

The consultant said the provision of a temporary supporting arrangement below the caps of the portal has been taken up considering the deteriorating condition of the bridge. “It is recommended to immediately restrict operation of the brige for heavy vehicles, including buses, trucks and trailers for safety reasons till a strong foundation is ensured,” the report said.

Additional municipal commissioner Omprakash Bakoria said that a site visit was done with the consultant to understand the condition of the bridge. “There is no doubt that restrictions have to be put on heavy vehicles on Dengle bridge. However, the PMC has to consult traffic police and PMPML before taking a decision on it,” he said.

On undertaking the repair of the bridge, Bakoria said that it’s estimated repair cost is Rs four crore that would extend its life for another 10 years, but a parallel bridge has been proposed there. “The alternate bridge parallel to the existing one is estimated to cost Rs 30 crore. There is no sufficient budgetary provision for it in this year’s budget and diverting funds for it means cutting down on the budgetary provisions for other civic project,” Bakoria said.

MNS corporator Ajay Tayade said that the civic administration should ban heavy vehicles on the bridge to avoid any accident. “The repair work should be taken up faster and no heavy vehicles should be allowed till that time,” he said.