By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 6: The restriction on plying of vehicles above 4 metric tonnes (MT) over the Umiam dam will continue until April 25, contrary to the earlier scheduled date of April 8.
This was done due to emergent technical reasons, the Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Limited (MePGCL) informed on Saturday.
These restrictions were put in place owing to the retrofitting work of the Umiam dam that began last Sunday, wherein the bearing of the bridge with two spans, and each span having six bearings, would be replaced.
Following the replacement, the bridge would be ready for normal vehicular movement.
It may be mentioned that since the bridge’s inception, in 1965 this is the first time that the bridge is undergoing repair work, and the decision to conduct repairs was prompted by the realization that the initially assumed 100-year lifespan of the bridge would end in 2024.