Silchar, Oct. 13: Cachar deputy commissioner Harendra Kumar Dev Mahanta has banned the movement of trucks carrying heavy load on the district’s Barak motorbridge on the eastern part of the town, from last evening till an indefinite period.

The decision came after a part of the bridge collapsed.

On an average, 300 vehicles ply on the bridge per hour.

Mahanta has ordered one-way traffic on this vital 472-metre bridge, which connects the town with the Silchar airport, 25km away, and Manipur via Lakhipur district. He has also ordered the trucks bound for this town from the Uddarbond block and Lakhipur subdivision as well as neighbouring Manipur to henceforth use the Raniferry bridge in Borkhola block and newly built Binnakandi bridge in Lakhipur subdivision. The alternate routes, however, would be longer and more time-consuming.

This is the second major repair undertaken on this bridge over the river Barak. In 1999, the bridge had suddenly started experiencing fatigue on both ends of the cantilever.

The bridge is now maintained by the national highways division of the state PWD, which has asked the Centre to sanction Rs 6.6 crore for more repairs.