The flyover that links Goraguntepalya with Nelamangala on Tumakuru Road has been closed for a week due to a minor fault in the cable linking two pillars.
The flyover’s sudden closure on Saturday evening triggered traffic jams as vehicles crawled for several kilometres on the busy highway below as well as on adjoining roads.
Officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) inspected the elevated corridor and decided to close it for a week, averting a potential tragedy.
NHAI sources said that a minor erosion wore off the cable linking pillars 102 and 103 before the Swati Petrol Bunk near the 8th Mile Junction. The cable requires replacement.
During the inspection, NHAI officials noticed that two out of 20 cables reported problems and they had to close the flyover for a week as a precautionary measure.
“There is no need to panic. We usually take up routine inspections after every monsoon and this time we observed rust on two cables between pillars 102 and 103. Hence, as a precautionary measure, the vehicular movement has been stopped,” said a senior NHAI officer in Bengaluru.
The official further said that an expert committee would inspect the flyover on Sunday to determine the course of repair. “If the bridge is deemed fit as it is, we may allow traffic. But if the experts suggest that the cables have to be replaced, we may need four days to finish the repairs,” the officer said.
The flyover’s closure caught the traffic police unawares. “Due to the holiday weekend, traffic density on Tumakuru Road was high and the situation went out of control for a while. But we deployed additional personnel and volunteers to advise motorists about the diversions and cleared the congestion,” said a senior traffic police officer posted on Tumakuru Road.
Check out latest DH videos here
Published 25 December 2021, 20:09 IST