Old Pune bridge demolished post midnight through controlled explosion

An old bridge in the Pune's Chandani Chowk area was demolished through a controlled implosion in the early hours of Sunday. The bridge on Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway (NH4) in the Chandani Chowk area of the city was built in the early 90s.

Following the demolition, several earthmover machines and trucks were pressed into action to bring down the hanging structures and lift away the debris.

The razing of the bridge was part of an ambitious Chandni Chowk development project that is aimed at improving the traffic situation at the key junction. A multi-level flyover will come up at the junction and the work towards that effect is undergoing.

"The bridge was demolished at 1 am on Sunday through a controlled blast and everything was executed as per the plan. Now, we have pressed earthmover machines, forknails, and trucks to clear the debris from the spot," said Chirag Chheda, co-owner of Edifice Engineering told PTI.

According to the report of PTI, around 600 kg of explosives were used to execute the controlled blast. Chheda said that the blast demolished the concrete and only steel bars were hanging. He added that the quantity of steel used in the construction of the bridge was better than they had expected, reported PTI.

A team of Edifice Engineering along with the NHAI authorities carried out the demolition of the bridge. This is the same company that demolished Noida's Supertech Twin Towers in the last week of August this year, officials said.

The demolition was carried out to make way for a multi-level flyover at the junction and the work towards that effect is underway. On Friday, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari conducted an aerial inspection of the ongoing bridge work.