SHILLONG, March 31: The bridge over the Umiam Dam and all roads connecting to it were completely shut down on Sunday as workers began the final stage of retrofitting work on it. The bridge, which is part of the traffic-heavy GS Road and serves as a significant connecting point to the city, was closed from 7:30 am until late in the evening, much after the declared time of 2 pm, as the retrofitting work took longer than expected.
Chief Engineer of Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL), B Wahlang, told The Shillong Times while inspecting the progress that due to the non-conducive work environment and the challenges, the workers were having a hard time, and therefore, they were not able to finish the work on time, and requested the public to bear with them.
It was publicly announced that the bridge repair would go on until 2 pm, after which it would be opened for smaller vehicles weighing less than 4 tons and standing up to 2.5 meters tall. But owing to the delay, several vehicles could be seen lined up on either side of the bridge not anticipating the delay until late evening.
Wahlang said that the bearing of the bridge with two spans, and each span having six bearings, would be replaced.
After replacing them, the bridge would be ready for normal vehicle transportation, beginning on April 8. The road starting from ISBT bore a deserted look rekindling memories of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
It may be mentioned that this is the first time since its inception that the bridge is undergoing repair work, and this also would be the first time the bridge was fully closed for traffic, owing to the retrofitting work.
The work started owing to the bridge’s reduced lifespan that was supposed to end in 2024.
