Collapse delays inauguration of Jeddah bridge

JEDDAH: Plans to inaugurate the bridge under constructed at the intersection of Prince Majed and Prince Mohammed (Tahliya) streets in Jeddah had been moved to a later date after a portion of the structure collapsed, officials of the Jeddah Mayoralty said on Saturday.
Jeddah Mayor Dr. Hani bin Muhammad Aburas, accompanied by municipal and company engineers, visited the accident site on Friday and said it was fortunate that nobody was killed or injured.
“The collapse of one portion has not affected the remaining parts of the bridge. An investigation committee will examine all the reasons that caused the collapse and will prepare a report in the coming days,” he said.
Named as head of the committee was Ibrahim Kutubkhana, deputy mayor for construction and projects, who said the bridge consisted of 20 prefabricated pieces that have been installed and linked to one another.
“What happened is that the scaffold bearing the 19th piece collapsed before being linked to the 18th piece. Each portion of the bridge weighs 88 tons and has a width of 30 meters,” he said.
He said the contractor has promised to reconstruct the collapsed portion within a month, adding that the bridge’s inauguration, which was previously scheduled for Shawwal, would be delayed for a month.
Mayor Aburas said the company has been asked to take maximum care in constructing the bridge.
He said prefabricated pieces are used for construction in order to accelerate the project works. “The company has completed works on the bridge and underpass in the street without facing any technical or constructional problems,” he added.