After Subhash Bridge shutdown, AMC orders structural audit of flyovers, railway overbridges and footbridges
Following the emergency closure of the 53-year-old Subhash Bridge, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has initiated a large-scale assessment of the city’s bridge infrastructure. The civic body has ordered a comprehensive structural audit of 92 bridges, including flyovers, railway overbridges, underpasses, culverts and steel footbridges, marking one of its most extensive inspection drives in recent years.
As a precautionary measure, AMC has also decided to bar heavy vehicles from 16 ageing bridges by installing height barricades and load-restriction signage. Among the structures where heavy vehicles will be restricted are some of the city’s oldest bridges, including Gandhi Bridge (1942) and Sardar Patel Bridge (1940), both of which have been carrying traffic for over eight decades.
Heavy vehicles will also be prohibited on Nehru Bridge (1962) and Parikshit Mazumdar Bridge (1968). The Kalupur railway overbridge, built in 1875, will be fitted with height restrictions, while other old bridges will be provided with fresh warning signs indicating load limits.
On Friday, AMC floated a tender inviting agencies to conduct detailed structural testing. Priority structures include the 75-year-old Shahibaug railway underpass, a key link to the airport, and the Khokhra railway overbridge constructed in 1960. Other bridges slated for inspection include the Girdharnagar and Chamunda railway overbridges (1985 and 1980), Hathijan Vivekanand minor bridge (1991), Chimanbhai Patel overbridge (1994), Cadila overbridge (1996), Nathalal Jagda overbridge (1998) and Damini–Dakshini overbridge (1999).
A senior AMC official said each structure will be evaluated individually, and repairs or strengthening measures will be undertaken based on the findings. According to AMC records, Ahmedabad has 11 river bridges, 26 railway underpasses, 25 railway overbridges, 21 flyovers, three minor bridges and seven canal culverts.
Bridges where heavy vehicles will be barred
- Kalupur railway overbridge
- Sardar Patel Bridge (old)
- Sardar Patel Bridge (new)
- Mahatma Gandhi Bridge (old)
- Mahatma Gandhi Bridge widening (new)
- Nehru Bridge
- Parikshit Mazumdar Bridge
- Girdharnagar railway overbridge
- Chamunda railway overbridge
- Chimanbhai Patel overbridge
- Cadila railway overbridge
- Nathalal Jagda railway overbridge
- Chandlodiya railway overbridge
- Swami Vivekanand Bridge (new)
- Shyama Prasad Mukherjee railway overbridge (Jivraj Bridge)
Subhash Bridge checks
A specialist agency is currently carrying out a detailed structural study of Subhash Bridge, which was closed on December 4. Subject experts are examining its foundation using heavy-duty equipment capable of testing up to six feet beneath the riverbed. Additional expert agencies have been roped in to conduct advanced analyses to determine the bridge’s stability and long-term safety.