Survey includes structural health monitoring and rehabilitation planning
Bridges in South Goa are undergoing stability tests.
Photo Credits: The Goan
MARGAO
The ageing decades-old Assolna-Chinchinim bridge over River Sal, the crucial link for the villages of Assolna, Ambelim, Velim, besides Betul and Agonda, is amongst the several bridges and culverts that have come under the scanner of the team roped in by the government to check the health condition.
In fact, the long-awaited exercise to check the condition of the bridges and culverts across South Goa has begun in earnest. M/s Concius Engineering Services in a joint venture with M/s Sri InfoTech has started the work of the condition survey of bridges/culverts, including the structural health monitoring and the preparation of repairs/rehabilitation plans for bridges in the South Goa district.
Besides the old bridges and culverts, bridges constructed in recent times, including the Assolna-Cavelossim bridge and the Rawanfond bridge, are among the several bridges that will undergo the test in the coming days.
The company has requested the PWD officials to provide all available information related to bridges under their jurisdiction, including design-related documents, as well as structural design details of all major/minor bridges, including box culverts.
The PWD has been further told to provide maintenance-related documents, including records of past repairs, inspections, and maintenance activities for these bridges. A request has also been made to provide any other available data about the construction, structural condition, or maintenance history of the bridges and culverts.
The consultant has commenced work on the project and has requested access to necessary data and documents to facilitate the survey and preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
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Calls grow for parallel bridge at Assolna
MARGAO: As the government-appointed team of experts conducted a structural stability test of the decades-old Assolna bridge, questions are being raised in the villages of Assolna and Chinchinim as to why the government has not proposed a parallel bridge on River Sal at the site.
While the Assolna bridge has withstood the test of time, with many saying the bridge has outlived its utility, given the increasing amount of traffic, voices for a new parallel bridge have come to the fore both at Assolna and Chinchinim in recent times.
Velim MLA Cruz Silva had taken up the issue of construction of a new parallel bridge at River Sal, connecting Assolna and Chinchinim to cater to the increased volume of traffic and to meet future requirements. The issue had also figured at the gram sabhas of the village panchayats of Assolna and Chinchinim in recent times, with members making a strong case for a new parallel bridge.
The need for the new parallel bridge at Assolna was felt recently when traffic plying on the Margao-Betul-Canacona route had to be diverted via Cuncolim to facilitate the execution of power works at the site.
PWD officials say they would wait for the expert team to submit its report and make recommendations on the Assolna bridge. Locals, however, say that though there is no immediate danger to the bridge, the government should propose a new bridge to meet future requirements.
The last time the Assolna bridge underwent repairs was over a decade ago when the PWD adopted the ‘Guniting’ process to strengthen the bridge. For, inspection of the bridge way back in 2013 had revealed that corrosion of the iron rods had set in one of the spans.
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NGO demands structural audit of Margao flyover
MARGAO: Will the Margao flyover built over the Konkan railway tracks around two and a half decades ago also undergo the structural stability test along with other bridges and culverts across South Goa?
NGO GOACAN has been insisting on a structural stability test of the Margao flyover built by the Konkan Railway Corporation and later handed over to the PWD, NH for maintenance in recent times.
The NGO had demanded that either the KRC or the Goa government conduct the structural stability test of the flyover as a precautionary measure, contending that the bridge had not undergone any major repair work since it was constructed over 25 years ago.
The government had, in the year 2022, taken up work on the Margao flyover, including the removal of the top layer of the concrete surface with asphalt, as well as the replacement of the worn-out rubber expansion joints.
