The bridge under construction at Dumri Ghat. Picture by Chandan Kumar

Patna, May 23: The agonising wait of around 50 lakh residents of the Kosi region for a road link with the rest of Bihar after the closure of BP Mandal Bridge (Dumri Ghat) on NH 107 in November last year would soon be over. The makeshift bridge parallel to it would be thrown open for traffic in the first week of June.

“We had planned to open the makeshift bridge for public use in the third week of May, but the work got a bit delayed because of some technical problems. Now it is likely to be completed in the first week of June,” road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav said, adding the work was being carried out from both ends of the bridge to expedite its construction.

Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam (BRPNN) has provided Rs 15 crore from its profit under the corporate social responsibility scheme for the alternative arrangement. The Telegraph had reported it on April 8.

The problem in the BP Mandal Bridge, inaugurated in 1986, was first detected in August 2010. The expansion point near the 16th pillar had increased unexpectedly. This gap increased alarmingly in September last year and precautionary steps were taken. While the movement of heavy vehicles on the bridge was stopped from September 23 last year, light vehicles were banned from November 5.

Taking into count the problems of people, the road construction department arranged boats for cro- ssing the river. Then the idea of the alternative bridge was mooted.

The upcoming bridge would be a sheet pile bridge. It would provide a temporary alternative to the people of the Kosi region belonging to Saharsa, Madhepura and Supaul districts. Under this technique of constructing temporary bridges, hollow pipes are sunk 12m deep in the riverbed. Once the sinking process is over, the hollow pipes are filled with sand. Iron sheets are then placed over the pipes.

Allaying fear that the makeshift bridge would be of no use during rains, when the river water-level increases, Yadav said the height of this temporary structure had been fixed on the basis of the highest water-level at the time of floods so that commuters could use it in monsoon. “There would be problems only if a flood of unprecedented level hits the area,” he added.

Sharing details about the Centre’s stand on the issue of providing funds to make the BP Mandal Bridge operational, Yadav said: “Thanks to the constant pressure of the state, the Centre has now given positive signals. It is likely to make things clear in a week.”