Vadodara: A year after the Gambhira bridge tragedy claimed 22 lives and snapped a vital Vadodara-Anand link, Prashant Rupera revisits the disaster through stories of rebuilding, resilience, hope and the long road to recovery.New Gambhira bridge set for completion by month-end, ahead of scheduleVadodara: Nearly a year after the Gambhira bridge collapse snapped a vital road link between Vadodara and Anand districts and claimed 22 lives, the state govt is set to restore connectivity with a new parallel bridge, with the Rs 212-crore project expected to be completed by the end of this month — nearly two weeks ahead of its Aug 13 contractual deadline.
The two-lane bridge across the Mahi River has achieved over 90% progress. Construction began on Aug 14, 2025, a little over a month after the July 9 tragedy that triggered widespread scrutiny of ageing infrastructure.“The 854.5-metre-long bridge has reached the final stages of construction. All girders have been launched and almost all deck slabs have been cast. Only two to three slabs remain, while bitumen work on the approach roads is also expected to be completed by the end of this month,” a senior Roads and Buildings (R&B) department official said.The bridge comprises 23 spans supported by 21 piers and two abutments.Officials believe the project could rank among the fastest river bridge constructions in Asia.“The nearly 850-metre river portion has been completed in record time. We have not come across a comparable bridge of this scale over a river being completed within a year. Similar projects elsewhere have taken well over two years. This may well be among the fastest river bridge projects completed in Asia,” the official said.The project, however, faced several challenges. Construction had to be suspended twice every month because of high tides and fluctuating river conditions, while labour availability was affected during the election period. Despite this, an average of 250 to 300 workers remained deployed at the site daily to keep work on schedule.The new bridge will restore one of central Gujarat’s most important road links between Vadodara and Anand districts.
