BY IRWIN ANGIKI
Concerns have been raised over the Chinatown overhead bridge which is reported as a risk to drivers and public.
Concrete blocs making up the bridge pavements are being held together with chains.
Taxi driver Mason Jnr, 38, told Island Sun recently the concrete slabs in the northern end of the bridge dropped and can now be seen clearly tilted downwards.
“When I drive along the traffic and stop under the overhead bridge, I feel fear, just anxious when a concrete bloc would slide and land on my car killing me and my passengers. It is scary,” Jnr said.
“Authorities must remove the bridge now before anything happens and lives lost or huge damage.”
The Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) is responsible for the overhead bridge.
When sought for comments last week, MID said a team from its Transport Infrastructure Management Services Division ‘will inspect this bridge in due course’.
MID said the bridge was earmarked last year to be demolished.
To this day MID is still waiting for funds to demolish the bridge.
“MID had deemed the bridge as a failed infrastructure. We blocked it off for use but some unknown members of public removed the caution tapes we had cordoned off the entrance,” MID communications boss Teddy Kafo said.
MID explains the chains were temporary measures to keep the bridge together until demolition.
“Chains are to prevent the concrete decks from lateral movement due to vibration from vehicle impact and/or earthquake. Every headed shear stud supposed to act as shear connectors between concrete slab and steel girders were compromised when a Gold Ridge heavy lift truck impacted the bridge some years back, then a big earthquake the same year totally snapped them.
“Impact of the cargo of the Gold Ridge truck (a massive mining excavator) had caused the steel girders to start buckling,” MID said.
MID said currently the bridge is closed to public including banner advertisements.
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