Vadodara: Even in its restricted avatar, the damaged bridge continues to be one of the busiest inter-district links in central Gujarat. Around 12,000-13,000 two-wheelers and 1,300-1,500 pedestrians use the bridge every day.The bridge was reopened on April 1 exclusively for two-wheelers and pedestrians after a rare engineering exercise restored the collapsed span. Four-wheelers and heavy vehicles continue to remain barred.In a rare reuse of a bridge damaged in a fatal accident, a 47-m-long steel girder weighing around 100 tonnes was installed using a specialised incremental rolling technique. Porbandar-based Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC), which earlier salvaged a tanker left dangling from the damaged bridge, fabricated and installed the steel span free of cost, while the roads and buildings department repaired the existing structure.The restored bridge has significantly eased travel for commuters who were earlier forced to take detours of up to 50 km. Company buses operate from both ends of the bridge, while auto-rickshaws are stationed on either side to ensure seamless connectivity.Officials said the bridge will remain open for restricted traffic until the new parallel bridge, expected to be completed by the end of this month, restores full connectivity on the vital Vadodara-Anand corridor.
