Road connectivity to the Mangaluru International Airport was disrupted after the Maravoor bridge, located on the way to the airport from Mangaluru city, developed cracks over the last few days. A portion of the bridge also collapsed, due to the effect of heavy rainfall in the region. Mangaluru police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said that the pillars of the bridge collapsed by around three feet. The movement of vehicles and people on the bridge was restricted for safety reasons.
"The connecting bridge between Mangaluru city and Mangaluru International Airport has collapsed on one side of the bridge and the two pillars have shrunk by 3-4 feet. The bridge has become non-motorable," Shashi Kumar told reporters on Tuesday, June 15. The Commissioner suggested alternate routes to reach the airport via Nanthoor-Vamanjoor-Gurpura-Bajpe for commuters traveling from the Kasargod area, and via Mulki-Kinnigoli-Kateel-Bajpe for those travelling from the Udupi area.
The Mangaluru International Airport issued an advisory on Twitter asking commuters to the airport to be aware of the change in routes. "Important advisory: Passengers travelling to & from @mlrairport, please note that traffic has been disrupted due to a crack in the bridge near the airport. Passengers are advised to take an alternate route via Baikampady. Please leave early for your flights from Mangaluru airport," read the tweet.
Important advisory: Passengers travelling to & from @mlrairport, please note that traffic has been disrupted due to a crack in the bridge near the airport. Passengers are advised to take an alternate route via Baikampady. Please leave early for your flights from #MangaluruAirport
— Mangaluru Airport (@mlrairport) June 15, 2021
As per reports, the bridge was damaged around 3 am on Tuesday. In addition to the heavy rains in the region, the construction of a new bridge and embankment nearby increased the flow of water under one portion of the bridge, which may have resulted in the collapse of the pillars. The construction of the new bridge began three months ago and is expected to take two years to be completed. The Maravoor bridge across river Phalguni is the main link between the city and the airport located in Bajpe in Dakshina Kannada district.
Recently, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Benagluru had declared an orange alert for coastal Karnataka, with heavy rainfall expected to occur from June 14-18 over the region.