Bhopal’s infamous 90° bridge to be rebuilt as meme-fest prompts action

Bhopal's controversial bridge, criticized for its sharp turn, will be rebuilt to enhance safety after being deemed unsafe by NHAI, officials announced.

A new bridge in the heart of Bhopal that drew ridicule from residents and became the subject of a raft of memes online for its sharp 90-degree turn will be rebuilt, officials said on Wednesday, 20 days after the structure was completed.

The newly constructed Railway over-bridge near Aishbagh Stadium which has sparked controversy due to its sharp 90-degree turn, raising concerns over potential risks to commuters, in Bhopal. (PTI)

The decision comes after a report by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)’s deemed the bridge, built by the Madhya Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD), unsafe for vehicles travelling at speeds of above 35km/hr.

“The redesign will follow NHAI’s recommendations,” said a PWD official who asked not to be named.

The 648-metre long and 8.5-metre wide bridge, built in Bhopal’s Aishbagh neighbourhood at a cost of ₹18 crore between August 2022 and May 2025 was scheduled to be inaugurated on June 15.

However, before the official ceremony, images of the bridge’s flawed design went viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism.

The state government has ordered the construction be completed by the end of this year even as work will be halted for the next two months due to monsoon.

The bridge will be made three feet wider at the sharp bend and the divider removed to create a smoother curve, said the official, adding that the department will also build speed breakers to control vehicle speeds on the stretch.

The project was first conceived in 2022 and meant to free up congestion on the busy stretch between Jinsi and Aishbagh areas after closure of the Barkhedi railway crossing in 2021. Officials attributed the right-angle design to the “shortage of land owing to a nearby Metro rail project”.

The redesign proposal will now be submitted to the railways to acquire additional land for modification.

Residents and experts raised serious safety concerns about the design, warning that the bend was a potential death trap.

State PWD minister Rakesh Singh ordered an inquiry into the matter. “After the probe report, action will be taken against those who designed the faulty bridge,” said the minister.

According to a senior officer, PWD chief engineer GP Verma submitted its reply and said the bridge design was slightly altered due to constraints posed by ongoing metro project. “There was a dearth of land and the bridge is not located on a major route frequented by heavy vehicles. The design was created keeping these limitations in mind,” said Verma in the report submitted to PWD.

NHAI area manager RK Singh said, “The bridge will not be demolished, but redesigned. Our recommendations were made after precise measurements of the bridge’s turn. Now PWD will begin the redesign work.”