Wall of Trichy-Thanjavur NH underpass collapses

TRICHY: A portion of the reinforced earth wall of a vehicular underpass of the Trichy-Thanjavur National Highway collapsed on Tuesday. Nobody was injured.
The underpass at Sengipatti has been closed by the NHAI and Thanjavur district police. Vehicles were diverted through the service roads on either side of the underpass.
The underpass helps vehicles bypass the congested Sengipatti village.
Officials said that the reinforced earth wall shields the vehicular underpass from atmospheric impact.
On Tuesday morning, a portion of the wall abutting the Thanjavur-Trichy service road collapsed. Around eight panels attached to the wall fell one after another.
On information, NHAI officials from Trichy and Thanjavur project implementation units inspected the site. Professors K Muthukkumaran and K Baskar from the civil engineering department of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy inspected the collapsed portion.
“The experts will give their report based on preliminary observations and analysing the reasons for the collapse. Under suitable conditions, mitigation work will be carried out to strengthen the underpass,” a senior official with the NHAI said.
For at least a month, officials hinted at suspending all modes of vehicular movement on the underpass.
“The damage is not too serious. The vehicular movement was suspended only to prevent further impacts. Restoration work will begin soon,” the NHAI official added.
The Thanjavur police barricaded the area.