Temporary Bailey bridge coming up on damaged Vikramshila Setu

Bhagalpur: Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Military Engineering Services (MES) teams have started constructing a temporary Bailey bridge on the collapsed portion of Vikramshila Setu across the Ganga river in Bhagalpur to restore connectivity.The Bailey bridge has been designed to support vehicles weighing up to 10 tonnes, allowing the movement of light vehicles, including four-wheelers and two-wheelers.Sources said the temporary bridge will be nearly 50 metres long and 5 metres wide to ensure smooth passage of vehicles. Nearly 100 BRO personnel, including engineers, mechanical staff and technical experts with expertise in fabrication of iron and steel structures, have been deployed for the assembly work on the river.The decision to construct the Bailey bridge was taken after the RCC slab of Vikramshila Setu collapsed on May 4. The collapse disrupted connectivity between south Bihar and the Seemanchal region in north Bihar via Bhagalpur.Following the collapse, a structural and safety audit was conducted by teams led by experts from the BRO under the Union ministry of defence; MES; engineering experts from IITs; Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) and the National Highway Division of the road construction department.Subsequently, authorities decided to construct an iron-frame Bailey bridge to restore connectivity at the damaged section of the Vikramshila Setu on a fast-track basis. Iron frames, girder beams, equipment and high-load-bearing cranes were transported from BRO centres in the north east over the past week. Fabrication work for the bridge began on Sunday.Bhagalpur DM Nawal Kishor Choudhary said, “The work to build a Bailey bridge on the collapsed section of Vikramshila Setu has started and is being carried out on a war footing by the BRO.”“All types of materials, machines and technical resources are being continuously deployed for the temporary Bailey bridge. The district administration and police officials are extending full cooperation to the team,” the DM added.He further said, “The BRO is making every possible effort to restore traffic movement on Vikramshila Setu at the earliest.”“The strength of the portion where the Bailey bridge is being constructed is also being continuously checked. Load testing of the Bailey bridge and its capacity to withstand vehicular pressure will be examined before allowing traffic movement,” the DM said.