Thiruvegapura bridge in Malappuram to shut for a month from January 1
Thiruvegapura bridge closure is scheduled for a month starting January 1st due to repair and maintenance work.
Thiruvegapura bridge closure is scheduled for a month starting January 1st due to repair and maintenance work.
Thiruvegapura bridge closure is scheduled for a month starting January 1st due to repair and maintenance work.
Valanchery: The Thiruvegapura bridge will be closed for a month from midnight on January 1 for repair and maintenance work following the appearance of cracks on the structure.
While pedestrians will be permitted to cross the bridge, all vehicular traffic will be prohibited. Line buses will be allowed to operate only up to either side of the bridge, where passengers must disembark before the buses turn back.
Vehicles travelling from Valanchery towards the Koppam area have been directed to take the Pookkattiri, Kalathur, Onappuda and Pulamanthole route or use the diversion from Valiyakunnu Junction via Pookkattiri and Pulamanthole. Return journeys should follow the same routes. Alternatively, vehicles may also use the Vengad- Moorkkanad bridge.
Cracks on the eastern portion of the bridge surface were first detected on October 31. The nearly six and a half decades old bridge spans the Thootha River and connects Malappuram and Palakkad districts. Although repair work was carried out in 2022, the structure has once again deteriorated to a hazardous condition. Following this, traffic had been permitted only under strict restrictions, with heavy vehicles already barred.
The decision to undertake major repairs on the structure followed an inspection by the Highway Research team. Equipment required for the renovation has already begun arriving at the site.
A meeting was convened with local representatives from Irimbiliyam and Thiruvegapura panchayats, officials of the Regional Transport Office, and police representatives from Valanchery and Koppam to discuss the arrangements. Panchayat Presidents T Rajula Noushad of Irimbiliyam and M Jameela of Thiruvegapura, Vice Presidents K T Moithu and K Keshavan, panchayat members T P Merish, P Muhammad Shameem, V T Ameer and P T Shahnaz, former Block Panchayat vice president P C A Noor, Public Works Department Bridges Assistant Executive Engineer Vinodkumar Chaalil, Assistant Engineer K Dheerajkumar and Overseer K Musafir, among others, attended the meeting.