The two road bridges at Digha and Munger over the Ganga in Bihar are in a state of utter disrepair.
The three-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi Setu over the Ganga is in a precarious condition but it is open to traffic with continuous repairs going on.
Another rail-cum-road bridge over Ganga at Mokama in Patna district, known as Rajendra Pul, built in 1959, too is in bad shape and needs immediate repairs.
The historical road-cum-rail bridge connecting East and West Godavari districts in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh is in a dilapidated state. Cracks and craters are appearing in the crocodile joints of the bridge. For at least three years now, heavy vehicles are not permitted on the bridge.
These are just some examples of the condition of hundreds of vital bridges across the country. And the lack of handy data on bridges makes commuting even more difficult, particularly for long-distance heavy cargo transporters. It also puts other road users at unease.
With no ‘real-time’ data available on the condition of bridges across the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways now has plans to launch an all-India survey of bridges at the earliest.
“We are planning have a bridge management system where the first step is to conduct an all-country survey of all bridges on the national highways. We are in the process of evaluating the bids, to finalise a consultant and will begin the survey process,” said an official from the Ministry of Roads.
“The survey has been divided into 18 packages where different teams will be sent out with mobile inspection units to study the bridges. The team will be numbering the bridges, inventorying it and uploading all data including the condition of the bridges online,” said the official.
“Once the data is in place, it will help us know the exact count of distressed bridges, vital links, bridges which need immediate repairs, bridges with life and also help us plan the need for new bridges better,” said the official.
The Ministry plans to put all the data of bridges online to help users (transporters) get handy information prior to deciding a route for journey to ensure smooth movement of cargo traffic across country.
“lack of a centralised registry on bridges has made matters worse for cargo transporters who sometimes waste time in long hauls for crossing these bridges,” the official said.
“We plan to have a real-time online registry of all bridges across the country. This will be a handy tool for the Ministry before giving permission to the transporters of over weight and over dimensional cargo,” he said.
According to estimates with the Ministry, there are around one lakh bridges. Out of these, around 15,000 bridges are on National Highways. As per annual plan 2014-15, as many as 470 bridges are proposed to be constructed on National Highways during the current financial year.
The official said that the Ministry plans to write to States to submit a list of all bridges and related information — including condition of the bridges at the earliest.
This move is in line with Government’s decision to smoothen the process of transport of overweight and over dimensional cargo. Earlier this month, the Government had put the process of permission for overweight cargo transfer online.
According to government officials, these measures will reduce the travel time for heavy cargo by at least one-third.