Instead of shutting 88-year-old bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway down after receiving a letter from the UK government, 3 years ago, on its life coming to an end, PWD erected crash barriers
The state allegedly sat on a warning issued three years ago by the British government that the bridge was well past its expiration.
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According to public works department (PWD) officials and locals, the bridge, which some reports say was built in 1928, should have been shut at least three years ago.
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PWD and National Highways Authority of India officials told mid-day that the British government warns the its Indian counterpart when bridges built on highways and railway lines during the colonial rule near the end of their expected lifespan and recommend their closure or demolition.
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A local daily in Raigad had in 2013 reported on the dilapidated condition of the bridge as well as the British’s warning
A railway official confirmed such a practice among the British authorities. “We are regularly informed about aged bridges and structures.”
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A senior PWD official said, “I’m told that the British had informed us about the Savitri bridge as well.”
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Temporary measure
A PWD official working on the Goa highway said a local newspaper had in 2013 published a report on the dilapidated condition of the Savitri bridge and that the British had warned of its life expiration. “The structure was infested with vegetation. The growing roots of trees had left the bridge on the verge of falling apart.”
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The officer said the PWD had made temporary arrangements then like setting up crash barriers on the bridge when the problems were brought to its notice. “However, our department did not think of closing the dangerous bridge to traffic.”
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