Gujarat: Tapi River Bridge On NH-48 Closed For Repairs | Mobility Information

Ahmedabad: The Tapi River bridge situated on Nationwide Freeway 48 close to Kamrej will stay closed from Friday onwards because the Nationwide Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched pressing restore operations following the Gambhira bridge collapse that left 18 lifeless and two folks lacking.   

The bridge will stay closed from at the moment for a month as a part of an intensive restore effort, prompting the Surat district administration to announce a site visitors diversion through the Kim-to-Ena stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

A notification issued by the administration instructed NHAI to erect clear signage for diverted routes, informing motorists of the change. Notably, two-wheelers won’t be permitted on the Expressway route.

The NH-48 hall includes two parallel bridges for site visitors in reverse instructions. Whereas the Surat-to-Bharuch bridge is structurally sound, the Bharuch-to-Surat bridge has developed a widening hole between the 2 slabs as a consequence of injury within the growth joint.

A metal plate has been quickly put in to cowl the hole, however earlier restore makes an attempt — restricted to an eight-hour closure — failed to offer a long-lasting resolution.

Below the brand new site visitors association, automobiles (excluding two-wheelers) travelling from Bharuch will likely be rerouted at Kim to affix the Expressway and might exit close to Ena village in Palsana taluka earlier than rejoining NH-48.

Site visitors from Surat to Bharuch will stay unaffected. The outdated bridge between Kholvad and Kathor, linked to the freeway, is now restricted to two-wheelers solely, as heavy automobiles are barred as a consequence of security issues.

“This part of restore will take at the very least 28 days,” an NHAI official confirmed, including that with the Expressway offering another route, full-scale restore on the Bharuch-to-Surat part can now start.

The urgency was triggered after Union Water Assets Minister C.R. Patil introduced the difficulty to the eye of Union Minister for Street Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

Following ministry directions, the NHAI expedited preparations to make the Kim-to-Ena stretch (the stretch getting used as a diversion route whereas the Bharuch-to-Surat bridge on NH-48 undergoes repairs) operational for automobiles getting into Surat from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Bharuch.

Barricades on the Expressway have been eliminated to facilitate smoother motion, and extra security measures have been carried out to make sure commuter comfort.

In the meantime, authorities have additionally closed the Rangsetu bridge close to Shinor to heavy automobiles.

This bridge, situated on the Segva–Rajpipla route, hyperlinks Shinor in Vadodara district with Nandod in Narmada district and is closely utilized by freight carriers heading to and from Maharashtra.

Inbuilt 2005, the bridge has undergone a number of repairs — in 2015–16, when a Rs 10 crore restoration lasted over six years, and once more in 2021 with Rs 1.25 crore spent over two months.

Now, in mild of the Gambhira collapse, officers have determined to decommission the growing old construction for heavy-duty use and have proposed establishing a brand new bridge at an estimated price exceeding Rs 250 crore.