Peenya flyover reopened for light motor vehicles

A day after pressure mounted on reopening the Peenya flyover, the NHAI allowed light motor vehicles (LMVs) on the flyover from Wednesday evening with officials stating that the structure will continue to be assessed in the coming days.

The decision on restricted movement on the flyover to cars, jeeps and small vehicles came after senior officials of the government held a meeting with National Highway Authority of India’s Bengaluru Regional Manager M K Wathore in the evening.

The closure of the flyover since December 25 has caused traffic snarls between Goraguntepalya and 8th Mile. The distress of commuters echoed in the Assembly on Tuesday with the chief minister promising to address the issue.

“At the meeting, it was decided to open the flyover for the movement of the light motor vehicles. However, as per recommendation from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the process of studying the integrity of the structure will continue. Heavy vehicles, especially trucks, can’t use the flyover for now,” a senior official from NHAI told DH.

The news brought a sigh of relief to the commuters and Peenya traffic police, who took up a review of lighting, sign boards, stickering and speed regulating measures on Wednesday. “Some of the work will continue on Thursday. A girder has been installed to allow vehicles up to the height of a tempo travellers, which make up most of our ambulances. Additional personnel will be deployed to man the traffic at the ramps in both directions,” an officer said.

A team from the IISc, which has installed the sensors on the flyover, took the measurement of the impact of the LMV movement for about 1 hour. “The experts will continue to monitor the situation for the next two days,” officials said.

IISc expert recommends structural audit

Professor J M Chandra Kishen from the IISc’s Department of Civil Engineering, who specialises in fracture and fatigue in cementitious composites conducted a series of tests on the 3-km flyover before recommending the regulated reopening.

As part of the load testing study, 6 trucks with a total capacity of 180 tonnes were run for three days. The IISc team took note of the impact of the movement on the cables and other parts of the flyover before giving their recommendations.

“We need to conduct a detailed audit and root cause analysis. This will involve structural and chemical analysis as well as failure analysis to understand the maximum capacity of the flyover. All of this may take 6 to 9 months but is essential to understand the integrity of the infrastructure,” he told DH.

The audit, he said, will also help to know whether cables were damaged due to corrosion or other factors. “Such an understanding is key to the maintenance of the flyover,” he added.

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