E-Paper
₹18 crore Bhopal bridge with sharp 90-degree turn sparks safety concerns: ‘Is this an engineering marvel?’
A railway overbridge in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has raised concerns among locals and social media users with its 90-degree turn.
A newly constructed bridge in Bhopal has become the talk of social media because of its peculiar 90-degree turn. Pictures of the railway over bridge near Aishbagh Stadium in Madhya Pradesh have raised concerns about safety among internet users. People are worried that it could become a potential risk to commuters.
“This is the Aishbagh rail-over-bridge in Bhopal. PWD civil engineers took 10 yrs to create this modern engineering marvel. Apart from being a traffic choke point, that 90° turn is a disaster waiting to happen, unless there’s proper banking, signage, speed breakers, and lighting. All the best to those who’ll have to use it and Hoover medal for engineering team responsible for this,” an individual wrote while sharing a picture of the bridge on Facebook.
Why the unusual design?
Officials associated with the project told PTI that the bridge was constructed in such a way due to the “paucity of land and the presence of a metro rail station nearby.”
Public Works Department (Bridge Department) Chief Engineer V D Verma argued that this was the only option for building the bridge. Verma told PTI, “Due to the metro station, there is limited availability of land at the point. Due to the lack of land, there was no other option. The purpose of the RoB is to connect the two colonies.” He added that heavy vehicles will not be allowed on the bridge and it will only accommodate small ones.
"It will be operated with full safety and the speed of vehicles as per the instructions of the Indian Road Congress,” he added.
Why was the bridge built?
According to the outlet, the bridge, built at a cost of ₹18 crore, is supposed to save time for people of the Aishbagh area by eliminating their need to wait at the railway crossing or take a long detour to reach their destination.
The overbridge is 648 metres long and 8.5 metres wide.
