This story is from January 23, 2022

Tamil Nadu: Concrete span of bridge under construction falls

A concrete block of a bridge under construction across Kollidam river at Anaikkarai near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur fell down in the early hours of Saturday when it was being placed using a giant crane between two spans.
Tamil Nadu: Concrete span of bridge under construction falls
As many as 15 labourers who were involved in the work jumped into the water safely when the block collapsed
TRICHY: A concrete block of a bridge under construction across Kollidam river at Anaikkarai near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur fell down in the early hours of Saturday when it was being placed using a giant crane between two spans.
Thanjavur collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver said that mechanical failure led to the incident and that no one was injured and no damage was caused to the structures.
As many as 15 labourers who were involved in the work jumped into the water safely.
The bridge is being constructed at a cost of Rs 100 crore for 1.2 kilometres from Thathuvanjeri to Thennavanallur to connect Chennai through Ariyalur. An officer of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said a block was being placed using a giant crane between spans 16 and 17 when the accident happened. A hose of one of the four jacks broke resulting in the main block crashing down while being lifted to be placed on the pillars. Patel infrastructure private limited is executing the project.
“It is a massive and challenging work. Going by preliminary inquiry, it happened because of the jack breaking,” collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver told ToI. He said NHAI will look into the technical aspects of the incident. The entire bridge is covered by 19 spans of which work on 10 spans is over. The project was expected to be over by March 2023. With Saturday’s incident, the district administration is staring at uncertainty over completion of the bridge and enabling free flow of traffic and easy connectivity.
The construction of the four-way bridge is part of the Thanjavur – Vikkiravandi highway project. Traffic was restricted to light motor vehicles on the existing centuries-old bridge on the stretch which had weakened.
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