Summary
- In the aftermath of the Gambhira bridge collapse in Vadodara, two more bridges in Gujarat have been either closed or partially restricted.
- The Tapi River bridge on National Highway 48 (NH-48) near Kamrej has been shut from Friday for urgent repairs, as ordered by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
- The death toll from the Gambhira bridge collapse rose to 18, with two individuals still missing.
Ahmedabad/Vadodara July 11: Close on the heels of the Gambhira bridge tragedy in Vadodara, vehicular movements along two bridges have been stopped or regulated in Gujarat.
The Tapi River bridge along National Highway 48 near Kamrej has been closed to traffic starting Friday for urgent repair works while the Rangsetu bridge near Shinor has also been closed to heavy traffic.
Meanwhile, death toll in Gambhira Bridge collapse increased to 18 with two still missing.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issued the emergency repair works on the Tapi River bridge. As part of a month-long restoration initiative on the Tapi River Bridge, the Surat district administration has enforced a traffic diversion plan. Vehicles will now be rerouted through the Kim-to-Ena segment of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
An official notification from the administration has directed the NHAI to install prominent signboards to guide commuters along the revised route.
Importantly, two-wheelers will not be allowed to use the Expressway for this detour.
National Highway 48 consists of twin bridges catering to opposite directions of travel. While the bridge from Surat to Bharuch remains intact, the structure in the Bharuch-to-Surat direction has developed a hazardous gap between two segments due to failure at the expansion joint.
Authorities had earlier placed a steel plate to temporarily seal the gap, but prior repair efforts involving an eight-hour closure failed to resolve the issue permanently.
According to the new diversion strategy, all vehicles (excluding two-wheelers) coming from Bharuch will be redirected at Kim to join the Expressway and re-enter NH-48 near Ena village in Palsana taluka.
Travel from Surat to Bharuch will continue without interruption. Meanwhile, the old bridge between Kholvad and Kathor has been restricted to two-wheeler movement only, owing to structural safety concerns that prohibit heavy vehicles.
“This repair phase will take approximately 28 days,” an NHAI official stated, noting that the Expressway detour enables comprehensive restoration on the affected Bharuch-to-Surat span.
The urgency to act was heightened after Union Water Resources Minister C.R. Patil raised the matter with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
In response, the NHAI accelerated work on the Kim-to-Ena stretch to make it ready for rerouted vehicles arriving from cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Bharuch en route to Surat.
Barricades along the Expressway have been removed to streamline vehicular movement, and additional safety protocols have been implemented for commuter ease.
In a related development, the Rangsetu bridge near Shinor has also been closed to heavy traffic. Located along the Segva–Rajpipla road, the bridge connects Shinor in Vadodara district to Nandod in Narmada district and is a key route for cargo movement to and from Maharashtra.
Built in 2005, Rangsetu has undergone major repairs twice — first in 2015–16 with a budget of ₹10 crore, and later in 2021 with ₹1.25 crore spent on minor fixes over two months.
Following the Gambhira incident, officials have now decided to permanently restrict heavy vehicles from using the aging bridge and have proposed building a new structure at an estimated cost exceeding ₹250 crore.
Meanwhile, rescue operations continued Friday at the site of the collapsed Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar River in Padra, Vadodara. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local agencies remain engaged in the effort.
So far, 18 bodies have been recovered, and two individuals are still missing.
Recovery crews have managed to retrieve wreckage from the riverbed, including debris from two trucks, a pickup vehicle, an Eco car, and a rickshaw.
The 40-year-old bridge, a crucial connector between Saurashtra and South Gujarat, gave way on Wednesday, plunging seven vehicles into the river. One truck was left dangerously suspended from the fractured structure. (Edited)
