Gujarat: Three spans of Ahmedabad’s old Subhash Bridge safely demolished as removal work progresses

Ahmedabad, July 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Ahmedabad's civic authorities on Wednesday successfully completed the controlled demolition of three spans of the old Subhash Bridge over the Sabarmati River, marking another milestone in the dismantling of the ageing structure that is set to be replaced with a new bridge.

According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the three spans located above the riverbed were carefully dismantled and lowered in a controlled manner without any untoward incident.

The corporation said the operation was completed safely, with no injuries to workers or damage to machinery or the surrounding area.

"The demolition of three spans located over the riverbed has been successfully and safely completed. The entire spans were dismantled with utmost care and lowered in a controlled manner. No untoward incident occurred during the operation, and complete safety was maintained for the workers, machinery and the surrounding area," the AMC said in a statement.

The civic body said the demolition was carried out by the appointed contractor under the supervision of structural experts.

Continuous monitoring was undertaken throughout the operation, while all prescribed safety standards and protocols were strictly followed to ensure the work was completed without incident.

To minimise risk, the entire bridge area was barricaded and declared a restricted zone during the demolition, with public access prohibited.

The AMC said safety remained the highest priority throughout the operation. With today's work, three spans of the old bridge have now been safely demolished.

"The remaining demolition will be carried out in phases in accordance with the approved plan while maintaining all prescribed safety measures. It added that debris removal has also begun," officials added.

The decision to demolish the bridge followed detailed structural assessments by experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) at Roorkee and Gandhinagar, along with noted bridge engineer Mahesh Tandon and other technical specialists.

The expert panel unanimously concluded that completely removing the ageing bridge and constructing a new structure would provide a safer and more durable long-term solution than attempting to retain parts of the existing bridge.

Built in 1973, the more than five-decade-old Subhash Bridge connects the Subhash Circle area with Shahibaug across the Sabarmati river and has long served as an important link between northern and central Ahmedabad.

The bridge was closed to traffic in December last year after engineers detected structural settlement and cracks, prompting extensive technical investigations.

Plans to restore the bridge were later abandoned after further assessments found significant deterioration, leading the AMC to opt for complete demolition and reconstruction.

Source: IANS