The Mango bridge-Jayprakash Narayan Setu- which is the gateway to the steel city from NH-33, is dotted with craters and potholes on both lanes of the 800 meter double lane bridge due to lack of maintenance for last two years. However, the bumpy ride on the bridge linking the city would be a thing of past soon.
Concerned over the situation, Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco has taken up the task of filling potholes and craters that had resurfaced on the 800-metre Jayprakash Narayan Setu (popularly known as Mango Bridge). The repair work has started and is expected to complete by Monday.
Moreover, the civic amenities provider company has also repaired the old Mango Bridge situated adjacent to the Jayprakash Narayan Setu. Pothole-ridden bridge have turned out to be a nightmare for motorists with two-wheelers falling victims to the callousness of the authorities in taking monsoon maintenance.
The potholes and craters were filled by Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco after a request from the district administration in 2012. But the traffic heavy vehicles on the bridge have made the craters and potholes to develop again in span of two years. The Rs 6-crore bridge was built in 1996 by the undivided Bihar Government and came under the jurisdiction of the State road construction department after Jharkhand was born in 2000.
Every day, more than 150,000 vehicles - private, public and commercial - cross Jayprakash Narayan Setu, connects the city to the densely populated Mango and NH-33.
A senior traffic police officer said that incidents of two-wheeler riders falling into potholes have increased during the monsoons.Drivers of bigger vehicles lose control over while negotiating the potholes often resulting in fatal accidents.In most cases, motorists are unable to gauge the depth of the water-filled holes. Moreover the potholes also slow down traffic on the already-congested roads, he said.
A Jusco official confirmed that the road construction department of the company has been asked to repair the Mango Bridge. “We are concerned over the situation and have decided to start the work. The old Mango bridge has also been repaired due to pathetic condition,” said the official. The old-bridge was repaired at a cost of Rs 7.5 lakh he added.