Cracks emerge on newly inaugurated JP Ganga Path Bridge in Patna

The JP Ganga Path bridge in Patna, constructed at a staggering cost of Rs 3,831 crore, developed alarming cracks

Transcript

00:00The JP-Gangapath bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs. 3,831 crore, developed cracks just

00:0672 hours after its inauguration on 10 April 2025.

00:10The cracks had been seen in pillar number A3 near Deedarganj, which were later seen spreading

00:15to both lanes of the Gangapath.

00:30On April 10, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the fourth phase of the JP-Gangapath

00:35in Patna, stating that the new phase would reduce the distance between Deega and Deedarganj,

00:41situated along the city's northern edge.

00:43The inauguration ceremony was held with much grander and tight security.

00:48Both Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar, Samrit Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were present

00:52on stage, along with Road Construction Minister Nitin Naveen, Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore

00:57Yadav and several senior officials and public representatives.

01:00However, as soon as vehicular movement began and traffic pressure increased, on April 13,

01:06just three days after the inauguration, a major issue emerged when cracks appeared on the newly

01:11constructed bridge, not just at one spot but across both lanes of the JP-Gangapath.

01:16Ahead of this, the public also raised questions on whether the government inaugurated this bridge

01:21in a hurry in view of the upcoming assembly elections and the cracks were an indication that

01:26the quality of the construction had been compromised.

01:28This is not an isolated case.

01:44On August 8, 2024, a bridge being constructed over the Ganga at Bakya Sukhen Bihar's Katyaar

01:50district collapsed.

01:51The bridge was being constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore by the Rural Works Department

01:56and was expected to be inaugurated soon.

01:58Between June and July 2024, there had been numerous bridge collapse incidents in Bihar,

02:03with at least 14 reported since June 2024.

02:07Some incidents involved under-construction bridges, while others involved existing bridges that

02:12had aged or been subjected to heavy traffic or monsoon conditions.