Chittur: Renovation work on the river bridge near Chittur College is in its final stages. Officials have stated that the project will be completed on schedule, provided there are no further obstructions.

The bridge, located near the Government College, is approximately 60 years old and is currently undergoing repairs. Serious damage to the bridge was first detected during a drone inspection conducted several months ago. The bearing pads at the junction of the bridge's slab and piers were found to have corroded and deteriorated. The bearings of the spans along the 115-metre-long bridge had completely collapsed.

The concrete on the underside of the bridge had peeled off, exposing the reinforcing bars. Although the bearings should ideally be replaced every 25 years, the lack of timely renovation until now exacerbated the issue. Experts had conducted an inspection and submitted a report warning that the bridge was likely to collapse if the bearings were not replaced urgently.

Following this, renovation began with an allocation of ₹80 lakh from the building department's fund. As part of the renovation, traffic on this route was completely halted. Only pedestrian movement was permitted.

Buses are presently operating services from both sides of the bridge, adhering to a strict schedule. Despite the inconvenience, the public is fully cooperating.

Currently, only the replacement of bearing pads on one pier remains. This work is expected to be completed within this week. Afterwards, work on the bridge's superstructure will commence. The section between the demolished slabs needs to be re-concreted. Once the concreting is finished, traffic can only be allowed after 21 days. Given that the bridge is also used by heavy vehicles, any concreting work not executed meticulously could lead to rapid damage.

A.N. Anurag, Assistant Engineer of the Public Works Department's Bridges Division, said they were expecting to complete the bridge renovation and reopen it before November 14.