Old Kulur Bridge Recently Undergone Major Repairs at a Cost of Rs 38 Lakhs is in Shambles!
Mangaluru: Old Kulur Bridge coming from Panambur to the Mangaluru City is in the news again-Not for Good News, instead for Bad News! Ask any motorist traveling on this 65 year-old Kuloor Bridge across Phalguni (Gurupura) river connecting Udupi/Surathkal/Panambur to Mangaluru, they will say its a nightmare due to potholes and dilapidated condition of the bridge. Especially for the two-wheelers plying on this stretch of the bridge is a burden. But in 2018, as per Dakshina Kannada DC Sasikanth Senthil it was said that this bridge will be closed, as National Highways of the Public Welfare Department has in its report submitted to the district administration has mentioned that the bridge is unsafe for travel.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI which had undertaken a survey of bridges under its network, in its report, deemed that the 65-year-old Kuloor bridge connecting Panambur to Mangaluru is unfit for travel. DC Senthil had also mentioned that once the NHAI comes up with an alternate traffic plan, a magisterial order for closure of the old bridge will be issued. He had further said, “NHAI will build a new bridge between the two-existing one-way bridges in place of the old bridge. Until the construction of the new bridge is completed, the other parallel bridge (connecting Mangaluru to Panambur/Surathkal/Udupi), which is currently used to facilitate traffic out of the City towards Panambur will be used as a two-way. Unfortunately, for certain reasons the plan of building a new Kulur Bridge never happened, instead in March 2020, the bridge underwent structural strengthening at a cost of Rs 38 lakh. The Old Kulur Bridge that was closed for two months between March and May this year for structural strengthening has now developed potholes and craters on its surface as well as approach roads, just a couple of months after it was open for traffic.
Built in 1952, the bridge across the Phalguni (Gurupura) was found unfit for movement of heavy vehicles by the National Highways Authority of India. The bridge is on the Udupi-Mangaluru carriageway. While NHAI’s proposal to construct a new six-lane bridge to complement a six-lane highway on the stretch is yet to materialize, the authority had sought the district administration’s permission to close the Old Bridge to strengthen the structure. Accordingly, the administration allowed the closure of the bridge from 16 March 2020 and diverted traffic on the New Bridge allowing two-way traffic. With COVID-19 and the consequent lockdown, the Old Bridge was opened for traffic on 20 May 2020 by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel. Sources reveal that NHAI had spent about Rs 38 lakh to strengthen the expansion joints and replace bearings between girders and pillars while it said that the pillars were strong enough to carry vehicular traffic.
However, within months, the bitumen layer on the bridge surface has given way forming potholes and craters. The approach roads, from KIOCL Junction till the bridge and from the bridge till Kulur Flyover, too have developed potholes and craters. A few commuters who frequently use this bridge spoke to Team Mangalorean, explaining their inconveniences faced traveling on the stretch of the bridge. Sathish, a regular commuter on the stretch, said that the NHAI would not have done better than leaving the potholes open on the bridge, if it wanted the bridge to get weakened with every passing vehicle.
Ms Shalini who rides her scooter from her house in Baikampady to her work place in Urwa in the City said, “It’s a nightmare to ride a two-wheeler on this bridge, with all the potholes and craters. And especially when heavy vehicles go by, like speeding trucks and buses, it’s very risky when you try to avoid the potholes, you could be hit by these speeding vehicles. I can’t imagine the just repaired bridge is in bad shape, putting motorists lives in danger”.