Massive cracks spotted in the wee hours of Feb 15 on a recently inaugurated overbridge near Dabhoi’s Sarita crossing in Vadodara district. The construction of the bridge which was prolonged by months, has thrown open the cover from the development standards of the authorities.

The concern caught attention when a truck’s rear wheel was stuck on the bridge. The driver inspected and found that the tyre was stuck in a massive crack on the bridge.

Reports indicate that, other than the visible cracks, a section of the bridge as well as its expansion joints were also separated.

After the substandard construction quality of the bridge was exposed, the roads and buildings department officials rushed to the site overnight.

Repair work on the cracks was initiated immediately under police deployment on both sides of the bridge to divert the incoming traffic.

Traffic heavily affected

Following this incident, vehicular movement was stopped on the overbridge overnight and was diverted, which caused massive congestion.

Traffic movement on the Vadodara-Dabhoi route was diverted towards Mahudi, Bhagol, Nada, and Kayavarohan from Vega Circle.

Tourists headed for the Statue of Unity in the early hours were also met with a massive commotion on the highway.

The repair works continued throughout the day, and the cracks were fixed until 5 in the evening, after which the traffic activity resumed.

Since the past four years, the construction of this bridge had already been a headache for vehicular traffic en route to the Kevadiya Colony.

Dabhoi’s Sarita crossing overbridge

This overbridge was constructed on the Sarita crossing, which is regarded as the entry point to Dabhoi, under the ‘railway crossings free Gujarat’ campaign around two months ago.

After the construction was completed on one of the two sides, the bridge was opened for vehicular motion.

The prolonged construction of this bridge took around four years, causing several public outcries.

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