Traffic bar to stay after crack cure

The Coronation Bridge over the Teesta. File picture Siliguri, Jan. 13: The Coronation Bridge over the Teesta will be out of bounds for heavy and medium vehicles even after the 2ft-long crack near the crown of the giant arch that supports the structure is repaired, public works department officials hinted today. The officials said the entry would be limited to light vehicles as the bridge was 70 years old and it could no longer bear huge traffic load. The restriction has been in force since December 31 when the crack was first spotted. The crack has been examined by experts from Jadavpur University and they are likely to send their recommendation by the end of January. “A five-member team from Jadavpur University had reached here on Wednesday. They examined the bridge and left yesterday,” said Ashish Ranjan Modak, the superintending engineer of NH Circle III of the PWD. “The team was from the civil engineering department of the JU and is expected to send us their recommendations by the end of this month.” The bridge at Sevoke, 25km from Siliguri, was commissioned in 1941 to commemorate the coronation of George VI. The bridge is along NH31, one of the two principal roads that links the Dooars and the Northeast to the rest of India. Modak said the PWD would continue to keep medium and heavy vehicles away from the bridge. “Apart from the crack, two other factors need to be taken into account as far as the conservation of the bridge is concerned. First is the age of the bridge and second is the consistent rise in traffic. Seventy years ago, the traffic was much lower than what the bridge bears today. These factors have prompted us to continue with the restriction,” he said. Although Modak refused to divulge anything more, sources in the PWD said even if the crack was repaired, the restriction was likely to stay. “We have proposed that the bridge be conserved as a heritage structure and only light vehicles be allowed to pass through it even if there is no threat to safety after the repair of the crack,” said a source. The PWD is now busy preparing a detailed project report for an alternative bridge over the Teesta at Sevoke Bazaar, 7km downhill from the Coronation Bridge. “Since heavy vehicles will be denied permission to ply on the Coronation Bridge, it is imperative to build another bridge over the river to maintain the link between the Northeast and the rest of the country. Now, heavy vehicles to and from the Dooars are travelling via Jalpaiguri or Gajoldoba (the Teesta Barrage), resulting in loss of money and time,” said the source.(Telegraph)