Gambhira tragedy turns focus on perilous Gujarat bridges that await repair

The collapse of the 40-year-old Gambhira Bridge on the Mahisagar River in Padra, Vadodara, in which 18 people lost their lives, and many were injured, is the second such tragedy in Gujarat in three years. The incident has once again brought to the forefront the state of dilapidated and dangerous bridges awaiting repair across the state.

Govt elusive on unfit bridge count

In the wake of the tragedy on June 9, the Gujarat government initiated an investigation into the incident and suspended four engineers of the Road and Buildings department for negligence. However, the state government has been elusive about declaring the number of bridges that are unfit or are perilous for use. As per the website of the Road and Transport Department, currently, 28 bridges are under repair in Gujarat.

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Meanwhile, local authorities of various districts have raised concerns about bridges in their area that require urgent repair.

Three months ago, local authorities of Bhuj, Kutch, flagged the need for repair of the new Rudramata-2 bridge built on Rudramata river.

They say Rudramata-2 was built, albeit after a considerable delay, after the original bridge developed a crack, but the new bridge has also started developing cracks within seven months of being commissioned.

Repairs, replacement no succour

“We had written a letter to the Road and Transport department in July 2023 when a massive crack had begun to develop in the middle of the 60-year-old Rudramata Bridge. They sent engineers to inspect the bridge and were supposed to act on the report within three months. But the report came back in July 2024 and work for a new bridge, Rudramata-2, began the same month. The new bridge became operational in January 2025, and within seven months, cracks began to develop along the middle of the bridge. We were concerned as it is the bridge that connects Bhuj and Khavda and is used to transport heavy vehicles containing salt from salt mines to the factories,” said SP Rathod, Taluka development officer of Bhuj.

Alarm over 50-year-old bridge

In Dharampur in Valsad district in South Gujarat, local authorities had been raising alarm over the 50-year-old bridge over the Man River near Karanjveri village, which connects Vapi district with the Shamlaji National Highway.

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“We first wrote a letter requesting authorities to repair the bridge in 2019. It is an old bridge that receives heavy traffic between Shamlaji highway and Vapi. The highway connects Vapi with Maharashtra. However, we received no response despite repeated requests in the last six years. Around 12 days ago, the bridge began to shake when the collector made a decision to bar heavy vehicles like trucks or tractors on the bridge. Now people are having to travel an extra 58 kilometres via Jamburi and Chandor villages to reach Vapi,” Saileshbhai Patel, the Sarpanch of Karejveri gram panchayat told The Federal.

Requests for repair fall on deaf ears

Similarly, local authorities have been raising concern over the Navnal Bridge in Juna Nagna village of Jamnagar in Saurashtra that has developed huge cracks. However, despite several notices from local authorities, the repair work hasn’t begun.

“We haven’t heard from the Road and Transport department yet. It’s been six months since we wrote to the department in Gandhinagar. The bridge is in a very bad condition and is an accident waiting to happen. We are using the bridge in constant fear. Why does the government not pay attention to people’s needs while they are alive? If an accident happens here, there will an array of officials visiting the village,” said Ramabhai Gajera, the sarpanch of Juna Nagna.

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Dismal state of Kholvad Bridge

Noticeably, following the Vadodara bridge collapse incident, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has announced closure of another bridge in South Gujarat connecting Bharuch and Surat along the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route.

However, an official said the bridge, instead of stopgap repairs, seen in the past, needs proper inspection and work to avoid any tragedy from happening.

“From July 10, Kholvad Bridge on the Tapi River in Kamrej will remain closed for repair for 28 days. The traffic has been diverted via the Kim-to-Ena section of the expressway,” read the notice from NHAI.

“The bridge over the Tapi River on National Highway-48 in Kamrej, Surat, has been damaged for the past two years. The two pillars over the Tapi River that hold the bridge have been repaired multiple times at the behest of the district collector. A seven-foot iron plate was placed to join the two pillars. But the joints keep breaking, especially in the monsoon. Instead of temporary repairs, the bridge needed a proper inspection from the concerned authorities. We are glad that NHAI has taken the matter into its own hands after two years of waiting,” said an official of Surat Collectorate.

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Sources say local authorities had been raising concerns about the Gambhira Bridge since 2023. In January this year, the bridge was repaired for minor defects by the Road and Transport department and declared safe for use. However, in just three months, the bridge developed major cracks and collapsed on July 9.