A large number of vehicles including overloaded ones regularly move on the risky bridge over the Swarnamoti River on Lalmonirhat-Burimari highway at Sarpukur village of Aditmari upazila under the district, posing risk of serious accident anytime.

Defying a caution notice by the Roads and Highways

Department (RHD), overloaded vehicles use the risky bridge as it is lone route connecting Burimari land port in Patgram upazila, said RHD officials and locals.

The Swarnamati Bridge was declared risky as its longevity expired in 2000.

As a few of its girders collapsed six years ago, RHD set several steel sheets on it for continuation of movement of light vehicles there.

The RHD authorities hung notices on both sides of the bridge for not movement of vehicles loaded above five tonnes, but heavily loaded stone carrying trucks even weighing over 30 tonnes daily cross the bridge, officials said.

“We violate the RHD's caution notice as there is no alternative way to go to the land port," said Zahir Ali, a truck driver from Rangpur.

"The bridge has

remained in a vulnerable condition for over a decade but I have to move on the route to transport imported goods from Burimari land port," said truck driver Manirul Islam from Bogra.

Suruz Miah, executive engineer of RHD in Lalmonirhat, said, "Process is on for a work under the Western Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project for constructing a new bridge over the Swarnamoti River."