Work to strengthen Cauvery bridge begins

Within three years of the Cauvery bridge undergoing a major rehabilitation work, yet another strengthening work involving the demolition of the solid retaining walls and their replacement with RCC handrails has commenced. Highways department sources said that the Rs 35 lakh project would replace the entire solid brick walls of the bridge with perforated RCC walls subscribing to the standards of Indian Roads Congress (IRC). This would ensure better stability and safety of the bridge, an iconic landmark of Trichy.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore in 1976, Cauvery bridge connects the Srirangam island with the city apart from providing connectivity to Thiruvanaikaval and further to Chennai trunk road. The state highways department had in November 2015 taken up a a major renovation drive to strengthen the bridge. As part of this, solid brick walls were erected as retaining walls at the two ends of Cauvery bridge. The measure however attracted flak from the local people and structural experts considering the poor design selection of these solid brick walls. This was because the retaining walls experienced considerable stress in the heavy flow of wind, particularly during the Tamil month of Aadi. “Wind load is pivotal factor in ensuring the structural safety of a bridge. Perforated retaining walls for any bridge are a preferred choice because even during floods the surplus water would flow through the bridge,” said city-based architect S Vijayakumar.

Acknowledging the structural failure, highways department has started preliminary works to demolish the existing solid retaining walls on the 540-metre-long bridge. “The entire stretch of Cauvery bridge will get perforated RCC handrails with 1-foot gap for each frame to ensure wind flow as well as aesthetic appeal. The vertical post in RCC for 1.2 metres height will be established along the retaining walls at 3-metre intervals,” an official source in highways department said. As part of the ongoing renovation works, the damaged pedestrian platforms are likely to get attention with the footpath found damaged at more than 35 spots. “To ensure the safety of pedestrians during the renovation works, we have placed barricades along the stretches where works are under way,” the official added. The renovation work is expected to be over by May.

Source