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Ludhiana: Jagraon Bridge to get major overhaul after string of collapses
The most recent incident involved a portion of the outer wall of the bridge getting damaged late Wednesday after the city witnessed heavy rainfall recently
The nearly 50-year-old Jagraon Bridge, a vital traffic artery connecting central Ludhiana to key national routes, is facing a major redevelopment project after a series of structural collapses raised serious safety concerns among residents and city officials. The bridge, constructed in the early 1980s, has seen at least four incidents of wall damage in the past month alone, prompting urgent action from the municipal corporation (MC).
The most recent incident involved a portion of the outer wall of the bridge getting damaged late Wednesday after the city witnessed heavy rainfall recently. Taking strict note of the same, the civic body commenced the work to re-establish the damaged wall and the experts from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC) have also been roped in for the same.
Four incidents so far
As the repair work is going on, movement of only heavy vehicles has been restricted on one side of the bridge (from Vishwakarma Chowk towards railway station) to avoid further damage. The officials stated that the repair work would be completed within a week.
Just two days ago, a 50-metre stretch of the crash barrier wall on the Vishwakarma Chowk side collapsed following days of heavy rainfall. The MC immediately closed one lane of the bridge to avoid any untoward incident. This comes barely weeks after another portion of the retaining wall towards the railway station side gave way, exposing the weakened base of the structure.
The first incident this month involved the ramp wall leading to the station, which also crumbled, clearly pointing towards poor upkeep of the decades-old structure. The latest collapse, compounded by wild vegetation, peepal trees growing inside the walls, and even rodent burrows, has further deteriorated the stability of the bridge.
“The problem is visible to all — loose bricks, cracks, plants growing from the walls. We’ve raised the issue multiple times, but only patchwork is done,” said Rahul Verma, a city resident. “It’s not just about repairs now. The bridge needs complete strengthening and even widening for the future.”
Goal is full scale redevelopment: MC officials
Officials from the municipal corporation, including commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, Ludhiana Central MLA Ashok Prashar Pappi, and senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar, recently inspected the site. The visit revealed multiple flaws, including poor drainage, broken crash barriers, and the presence of rodents believed to be attracted by the nearby fish market under the bridge. MC additional commissioner Paramdeep Singh, superintending engineer (SE) Ranjit Singh, executive engineer Balwinder Singh, experts from GNDEC among others were present during the inspection.
Municipal officials confirmed that while the collapsed portions don’t pose an immediate threat to the main structure, a detailed redevelopment plan is now underway, in consultation with GNDEC. The proposal includes strengthening of the support walls and widening of the bridge from Jagraon Bridge to Vishwakarma Chowk.
“Temporary repairs are being carried out, but the ultimate goal is full scale redevelopment,” said senior deputy mayor Prashar. “We can no longer afford to delay action on this vital structure.”
The MC has also instructed officials to work on a permanent solution to the waterlogging issue near the traffic lights, which is leading to road erosion and potholes during every monsoon.
