Bhopal Bridge: The 90° Turn That Took Out 7 Engineers

A bridge designed to ease traffic in Bhopal, India, recently turned into a fiasco after viral images exposed its strange 90-degree turn, leading to the suspension of seven engineers.

The images quickly went viral online, showing a newly built overbridge with an abrupt bend that looked both unsafe and absurd. Social media users wasted no time turning the design into memes, questioning how vehicles were expected to navigate the sharp turn.

“Who in their right mind approves a 90-degree turn on a busy overbridge? a user posed on X.

A flood of criticism from residents and social media users alike prompted the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, to intervene and mitigate the fallout.

In a statement released on X, he said, “I took cognisance of the serious negligence in the construction of Aishbagh Rail Over Bridge (ROB) and ordered an inquiry. Based on the inquiry report, action has been taken against eight PWD engineers.”

As a result, seven engineers, including two senior officials, were suspended with immediate effect. These include Chief Engineers Sanjay Khande and G P Verma, Executive Engineers Javed Shakeel and Shabana Rajjaq, Sub-Divisional Officer Ravi Shukla, Assistant Engineer Shanul Saxena, and Sub-Engineer Umashankar Mishra. A departmental probe has also been initiated against retired Superintendent Engineer M P Singh.

“The ROB will be inaugurated only after improvements are made,” the Chief Minister added.

The backlash did not stop at suspensions. The government blacklisted the construction agency and the design consultant responsible for the project.

Architect firm M/s Puneet Chaddha and the design consultant M/s Dynamic Consultant have both been barred from future projects, according to Public Works Department (PWD) Additional Chief Secretary Neeraj Mandloi.

Built at a cost of $2.16 million, the overbridge in Bhopal’s Aishbagh area aims to improve connectivity between Mahamai Ka Bagh, Pushpa Nagar, the station area, and New Bhopal.

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Following the public backlash, some officials involved in the construction claimed the 90-degree bend was the result of unavoidable constraints. With limited land availability and the presence of a metro rail station nearby, they argued that no alternative route was feasible. 

“If a little extra land is made available, the 90-degree sharp turn can be converted into a curve,” one official said.

But critics remain unconvinced. “Even with constraints, safety and functionality should not be compromised. That’s the essence of engineering,” said an engineer who visited the site.

To address the design flaw, the PWD constituted a committee tasked with finding solutions to improve safety on the bridge. It remains unclear whether the improvements will restore public trust or enable the bridge to serve its original function.

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