94-year-old Penamaluru Bridge Partially Collapses, No Casualties
Residents said the incident occurred before dawn, preventing any loss of life. Some locals noted that the consequences could have been serious had the collapse taken place during the daytime.
Vijayawada: A 94-year-old bridge at Penamaluru near Vijayawada partially collapsed in the early hours of Thursday. No casualties were reported as the structure was unoccupied when a portion of it gave way.
Police said the bridge had been closed to vehicular traffic nearly a decade ago due to safety concerns, although pedestrians continued to use it. The collapse has disrupted pedestrian connectivity between National Highway-65, Chodavaram and nearby villages.
Residents said the incident occurred before dawn, preventing any loss of life. Some locals noted that the consequences could have been serious had the collapse taken place during the daytime.
According to a plaque on the bridge, the structure was inaugurated on April 15, 1932, by Dewan Bahadur B. Muniswami Naidu, then Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency. Built across the Bandar Canal, it served as the main link between NH-65 and Chodavaram until a wider bridge was constructed about two decades ago.
The bridge had continued to be used by pedestrians and was a gathering place for fishermen, elderly residents and roadside vendors. Some vendors resumed selling fish and prawns from the unaffected portion after the incident.
Penamaluru MLA Bode Prasad attributed the collapse to the deterioration of the ageing structure. He said proposals for construction of new bridges at Penamaluru, Uppuluru and Kesarapalli had already been submitted to the government.