90 year old Kollidam bridge washed away by floodwater

Tiruchi: Build around 90 years ago replacing a brick arched structure which got washed away in the floods occurred in 1924, was collapsed on Sunday.

A new viaduct was constructed and opened for traffic in February 2016, after which this bridge was closed to use. On Wednesday, due to strong currents, it had developed a crack and the crack got bigger a day later .

“Three spans of the bridge, to a length of 99 metres had collapsed and got washed away in the Coleroon. The steel girder bridge, designed for 60 years, had been put to use for 90 years. The weakness of the structure, the sudden increase in the water level and the strong water current were the main reasons for the collapse of the bridge. One more pier of the bridge was also found sinking. It could go down any time,” said divisional engineer, R. Krishnasamy.

He added, “The collapse of the old bridge would not weaken the new bridge. The collapsed structure got washed away downstream towards the east.”
About 1.5 lakh cusecs of water was flowing in the Coleroon when the bridge collapsed, reported the Highways department. Many people from the neighbouring areas witnessed this incident.