Bihar: Now, Under-construction Bridge Collapses in Kishanganj District; No Casualties, Says MoRTH

Another under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar on Saturday, just days after one gave way in Khagaria district. The latest incident took place in Kishanganj district, while the ministry of road transport and highways on Sunday said constriction of water flow and excessive scour of the sandy riverbed led to the incident.

According to the ministry, there were no casualties or injuries to construction workers. At least four officials involved in the construction work were suspended with immediate effect. The bridge, being built over Mechi river, will be connecting Araria and Kishanganj districts. The superstructure was erected in May and the bridge was not yet in operation.

The ministry said an unexpected settlement of 600 mm happened at the pile foundation beneath pier P3 on the major bridge on Saturday. “Preliminary investigation reveals that recently there is a sudden rise of water flow from Nepal in the Mechi river on which this bridge is being constructed. Further, preliminary investigations have also revealed that the entire river was channelised through the P2-P3-P4 spans during construction activity, leading to constriction of water flow and excessive scour of the sandy riverbed. This has possibly contributed to the settlement of the pile foundation at P3,” read a ministry statement.

The ministry further said a team of officers from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the concessionaire and independent engineer have reached the site and are taking necessary preliminary rectification work to avoid any further settlement in pile foundation at P3.

A three-member expert committee has been formed, which is scheduled to visit the site for a detailed investigation and to ascertain the cause behind settlement at the pile foundation at P3. It will also suggest remedial measures to be undertaken. The panel has ADG AK Shrivastava (retd) of the MoRTH; Pr Tech officer (bridges) SK Sharma (retd) of Central Road Research Institute; and Venkatram PG of L&T Infrastructure Engineering Ltd.

The construction of the four-laning of the project between Galgalia and Bahadurganj – with a total length of 49 km – was awarded to GR Infra Projects Highway Ltd in January 2022. At present, physical progress is up to 70 percent.

On June 4, an under-construction bridge connecting Khagaria and Bhagalpur had collapsed. A security guard was killed in the incident.