Ghaziabad: Hindon barrage bridge, connecting Siddharth Vihar with Indirapuram and other trans-Hindon areas, has been closed for repairs for a month. Commuters, particularly two-wheeler riders, will have to take detours of around 5 km to 10 km via bridges from NH9 or Meerut trisection.The barrage bridge was built primarily to monitor water flow but has become an important link between areas on either side of the river.A resident of Gaur Siddhartham in Siddharth Vihar, Saurabh Jha, travels every afternoon to his gym in Indirapuram. “I prefer to take the barrage bridge but this detour will be too long for me. I would need to take the GT Road if I want to take the bridge from Meerut trisection. It is extremely congested and it takes hours to clear,” he said. “I have started looking for a facility closer to home.”An official of the irrigation department, Sanjay Saini, said, “The grilles of the bridge are rusted and the slab beneath has also broken in many places. We are closing off the bridge for maintenance work for a month.” The department has placed barricades on both sides of the bridge, but bikers could be seen breaching them and driving on the bridge.Meanwhile, a proposed 200-metre bridge remains delayed. Although funds were sanctioned earlier, differences between the UP Bridge Corporation and the irrigation department over the alignment have held up construction. A revised alignment now requires govt approval.“The news of a new bridge connecting both sides of the river brought some respite to daily commuters like us,” another resident of Siddharth Vihar, Nikhit Negi, said. “Even after six months, the work has not started.”Ajay Mittal, executive engineer of the UP Housing Board, which is funding the project, said, “The irrigation department is the custodian of the river and they were not satisfied with the initial alignment of the proposed bridge, as they said it was very close to the barrage bridge.” Rs 51 crore has already been sanctioned for the new bridge. “The new alignment has been sent to our board for approval but it will take time,” he added.According to the initial plan, the bridge was to be constructed 80m downstream from the barrage between sectors 8 and 9 of Siddharth Vihar township. Now the new proposal shows the bridge is to be constructed 210m downstream from the barrage.From the Meerut trisection to DME, there are four bridges over Hindon. The Old Hindon Bridge is 70 years old and connects the Meeruttrisection with Mohan Nagar, but in 2017, the bridge was closed down as it developed cracks. In 2022, a new bridge was constructed. There is another bridge, which runs parallel to the Old Hindon Bridge. In 2015, a third bridge, which connects the Meerut trisection with Vasundhara, was constructed.Over the last 15 years, Ghaziabad city has undergone a lot of changes, especially in the trans-Hindon areas of Indirapuram, Vaishali and Vasundhara. There is another bridge right over DME or NH9, which caters to highway traffic.
