35-year-old bridge collapses in W Champaran, villages cut off

Patna: A nearly 35-year-old bridge over the Dhanauti river at Lalsaraiya in Majhaulia block of West Champaran district collapsed on Monday evening, disrupting connectivity between several villages and panchayats and raising fresh concerns over the condition of ageing infrastructure in Bihar.

The district administration swung into action on Tuesday after receiving information about the incident, while the rural works department initiated work on a temporary alternative route by filling soil alongside the damaged structure to restore movement.

According to locals, around 10 feet of the bridge caved into the river, completely blocking the key road connecting Bakhariya Chowk on NH-727 with Karmawa and parts of East Champaran through Lalsaraiya. The route serves as an important link for residents of several villages and nearly half a dozen panchayats, and its closure has severely affected transportation and daily movement in the area.

Officials said efforts were underway to ensure that people do not face prolonged disruption. Junior engineer Deepak Chandra Sinha of the rural works department, who inspected the site, said the old diversion bridge had collapsed and a new temporary diversion was being constructed to facilitate smooth movement of people and vehicles at the earliest.

Residents, however, demanded the immediate construction of a permanent bridge, alleging that timely maintenance could have prevented the collapse. They urged the administration to expedite the process to restore reliable connectivity and prevent future mishaps.

“The collapse of the bridge is causing a lot of trouble. Repairing it won’t suffice; a new bridge will have to be built,” said Deepu Kumar, a villager.

The collapse has once again drawn attention to a series of bridge-related incidents reported in Bihar in recent months.

Earlier this month, a road overbridge near the Itarhi railway crossing in Buxar, constructed at a cost of Rs 26 crore, developed structural damage just four days after its inauguration. The top layer near Pier No. 5 caved in, forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the structure.

Last month, more than 33 metres of the RCC structure of Vikramshila Setu over the Ganga in Bhagalpur collapsed near pillar number 33, disrupting road connectivity between eastern and northern Bihar. Subsequently, authorities ordered the construction of Bailey bridges on the affected sections to allow restricted movement of vehicles.

On March 1, nearly half of an under-construction bridge over the Ghoghari river in Gopalganj district collapsed suddenly. The bridge, being built at a cost of around Rs 3 crore, was scheduled to be completed within a year. The incident raised serious concerns about construction quality and project oversight in the state.