Palar bridge repair to be completed by March 18

Work on the old bridge, which was built in the 1950s, has also been completed

Repair work on the Palar bridge in Chengalpattu on the NH 45 is likely to get over by March 18. Vehicular traffic was diverted at two points ahead of the bridge from the Chengalpattu side.

Of the 24 joints on the bridge that was constructed in the 1980s, 17 have been replaced with fresh joints, explained a source in the National Highways Authority of India, which is carrying out the work at a cost of ₹1.4 crore.

An engineer associated with the project explained that the joints between two spans were made of metal and these prevent the concrete slabs from getting damaged. There is some space between these expansion joints which allowed the metal to expand and contract during various seasons.

There are two bridges at the point, which is near the distillery, and work to repair the old one built in the 1950s has been completed. “Thought it had been planned to divert traffic for 60 days, this has been reduced to a little over 45 days due to the teams working even at night and the use of micro concrete that sets faster and needs only seven days to cure,” said an official source.

However, motorists taking the route have been complaining of a few vehicles trying to drive on the wrong side on the bridge despite the diversion. “Ambulances and fire engines are allowed to drive on the wrong side since they are on emergency duty. However, many times, we see many motorists follow these vehicles to save time and fuel, which is bad,” said a motorist, who travelled on the road.