Guwahati: Fate of Six Mile flyover uncertain; closed for heavy vehicles

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The fate of the Six Mile flyover, the first flyover that people from Upper Assam and the rest of the NE encounter while entering Guwahati city from Khanapara point, is still hanging in the balance. The Six Mile junction is one of the busiest in the city, and huge traffic jams are a regular occurrence. Vehicles coming into the city have to either cross over or under the flyover here. It is hard to envisage people in vehicles traversing the junction without this flyover operating normally.

A few months back, the flyover was partially closed to vehicular traffic due to repairs being made to its damaged portions, mainly in pillar no. 4 (P4), which had developed cracks. It took several months for the repair work to be completed with stopgap measures like concrete blocks placed near the damaged point to shore up the structure.

As of date, the flyover is again closed for heavy vehicles. Signage to that effect has also been put up.

When contacted about the recent development, a PWD official told The Sentinel that the flyover has been closed to heavy vehicles as a precautionary measure after a direction from the higher authorities.  

It was from the end of 2024 that a question has been eating at the minds of the people. Is the Six-Mile flyover in Guwahati really safe? People were worried whether the structure would fall even as vehicles were passing over it or if the government would dismantle the 1.65 km flyover.

The PWD official further said that several cracks had developed on pillar no. 4. When proper examination of the pillar in question was done, it was concluded that the pillar had failed. At that time, the state PWD took a suggestion from IIT-Guwahati regarding the flyover. According to the suggestion of IIT-Guwahati, the PWD then provided supports in such a way that the weight of vehicles did not fall on the pillar directly, and the load was distributed. He also said that the repair work was temporary in nature.

A senior engineer of the Dispur Dimoria territorial PWD division said that Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) had been entrusted with post-repair construction testing of the flyover. During the testing, RITES examined the design, construction, and composition of the concrete used in the bridge. In addition to this, they also conducted land testing at the site. The report from RITES was supposed to be submitted to the state government by the end of April 2025. However, the report is yet to be submitted, as the examination is still going on.

The PWD official further pointed out that the fault is now localized on a single pillar—No. 4; if the cracks extend to other pillars, it will become a cause of real concern.

Everything now hinges on the report and recommendations of RITES, the Indian engineering consultancy and public sector undertaking that specializes in transport infrastructure.

It should be mentioned here that work on the Six-Mile flyover was awarded to Kolkata-based construction firm Simplex in 2006 by the then government. The bridge was opened in 2009. The original cost was Rs 47 crore but was later revised to Rs 78 crore.

When a major construction work is completed, there is usually a defect-liability period. During this period, if there is any problem regarding the construction, it is the duty of the construction firm to repair the defect. In the case of the Six-Mile flyover, the defect liability period is one year. This period ended a long time back, as it is now over 14 years since the flyover was opened for traffic. The design of the flyover was prepared by a Delhi-based private firm.

 Also Read: Guwahati Six Mile Flyover: Fate Hinges on RITES Report

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