The collapse of the Gambhira bridge on the Anand-Vadodara route has again laid bare the glaring gaps in Gujarat’s governance. In response to the latest incident, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has initiated a fresh round of inspections targeting flyovers and bridges built 15 years ago or earlier, starting with visual assessments and planning load tests for key river bridges.
The Gambhira bridge collapse occurred even after a 2023 directive that made routine inspections mandatory for all bridges under the jurisdiction of municipal corporations, authorities, and municipalities in Gujarat.
A report, attributing a senior AMC official, claimed that the civic body has already conducted preliminary inspections on 69 of the city’s 92 flyovers, bridges, and underpasses in 2024, resulting in maintenance work. By March 2025, AMC had completed detailed inspections—including destructive and non-destructive testing—for 16 bridges and two foot overbridges.
AMC officials indicated that post-monsoon, the corporation plans to inspect 42 more bridges, with priority given to older structures. Load testing will also be carried out on three river bridges, including the Nehru Bridge built in 1962 and the Gandhi Bridge, which dates back to 1942. These tests will require temporary suspension of traffic on these structures.
Gujarat’s bridge safety overhaul can be traced back to 2014. The Athwalines flyover collapsed in Surat. The following day, a high-level inquiry committee was set up. Its report pointed to basic design flaws.
In response, the government mandated that all bridge and flyover designs be proof-checked by the design circle of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department before any tendering or construction.
While the design circle’s involvement led to improvements in structural planning, further issues emerged. In 2017, the newly constructed Hatkeshwar flyover in Ahmedabad was flagged for substandard material quality.
We may recall that four years ago, a slab collapsed when the Mumatpura flyover was being instructed. These episodes brought to the fore glaring gaps despite procedural reforms.
The R&B department responded in 2023 by issuing a state-wide order mandating monsoon inspections and follow-up maintenance. In August 2024, a comprehensive update to bridge construction norms was introduced. Among the changes, M-30 grade concrete for wearing coats on bridge slabs was replaced by M-40 grade concrete, with a specified minimum thickness of 100 mm.
New construction standards also mandated the use of Concrete New Jersey barriers for all high-level bridges. For longer spans, elastomeric bearings were to be replaced with Pot-PTFE or spherical bearings. In response to honeycombing and similar issues, reinforcement bars were upgraded from FE-500D to FE-550D grade. The use of corrosion-resistant steel bars and proper concrete cover was made compulsory.
Design directives required minimizing the number of expansion joints, ensuring deck continuity wherever feasible, and incorporating modular joints. Temporary lateral support for each girder during casting or launching was mandated, and entire bridge construction zones had to be barricaded according to code. The employment of only certified and licensed operators for machinery such as cranes, hydras, and JCBs was made a requirement.
For retrofitting, the state mandated the use of materials with higher specifications than the original design. Yet, the Gambhira bridge couldn’t be salvaged. Reality stares us in the face. That without strict enforcement, such regulations are of no use. Because despite multiple state-wide directives on inspections, design checks, and construction standards, the failures persist.
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