Bridge deck collapse halts vehicular movement

The steel deck of the bridge over the Swarnamati River on Lalmonirhat- Burimari Highway at Sarpukur village of Aditmari upazila under the district collapsed under the pressure of a stone-loaded truck on Saturday night, causing suspension of vehicular movement on the road.

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in Lalmonirhat is trying to repair the collapsed steel deck to restore road communication on the important route, officials said yesterday afternoon.

Defying caution notices on both sides of the bridge not to run vehicles with five tonnes of load there due to its vulnerable condition, drivers often run overloaded vehicles, even trucks carrying 50 tonnes of stones, on the bridge, resulting in repeated collapse of the steel deck of the bridge, RHD officials said. 

Talking with this correspondent, several truck drivers in the town said they have to use the vulnerable bridge amid life risk as it is the lone road to communicate with Burimari land port.

Executive Engineer of RHD in Lalmonirhat Suruj Miah said a project for constructing a new bridge to replace the vulnerable Swarnamati Bridge is under process, and the work would start this year.