Gujarat bridge collapse: 40-year-old structure was used by toll-evading heavy lorries
A portion of the bridge in Vadodara district collapsed during the morning rush hour on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people.
The 40-year-old bridge in Gujarat's Vadodara district, which collapsed on Wednesday, was being increasingly used by heavy lorries seeking to avoid tolls on the six-lane Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway.

The detour also shortened the journey of the heavy lorries by at least 30-35 kilometres, according to locals.
A portion of the bridge collapsed during the morning rush hour on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people. Two lorries, an SUV, a pickup van and an auto-rickshaw fell into the water while a tanker was stuck on the edge of the portion that gave way. The bridge, which connects Anand and Vadodara districts, was built in 1985.
Locals said that each time a heavy vehicle crossed, the spans of the bridge visibly shook.
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“Each time a heavy vehicle crossed, the spans of the bridge visibly shook. It was a disaster waiting to happen,” said Davendra Patel, a Borsad village resident who was driving towards Vadodara when he learnt of the collapse. He added that another nearby bridge was in similar condition.
According to government officials, residents of Bamangam and other nearby villages have long demanded that a new bridge be built instead of repeated repairs.
An official aware of the matter said the state government cleared a proposal to build a new bridge in November 2024 at a project cost of ₹217 crore.
Probe ordered
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered an investigation and dispatched a technical team comprising the chief engineer-design, chief engineer-South Gujarat, and two private bridge construction specialists to examine the incident.
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“I have instructed the team to urgently investigate the reasons for the bridge collapse and submit a preliminary report on technical aspects,” Patel said, noting that one of the bridge’s 23 spans had failed.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also announced ₹2 lakh compensation from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the victim’s kin.
“The loss of lives due to the collapse of a bridge in Vadodara district, Gujarat, is deeply saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” he wrote in a post on X.