Overloaded vehicles on bridges

The collapse of the Bailey bridge, under the weight of an overloaded truck, over the Kansama Canal in Bandarban speaks volumes about the sorry state of the bridge management system of the country. What can we expect a temporary bridge with a load capacity of only five tonnes to do except collapse when vehicles with heavier loads drive on it? 

Lately, we have seen a plethora of reports of small bridges failing due to various reasons in different parts of the country. In this particular case, however, the primary cause seems not to be sloppy maintenance or deviation from design standards but exceptional stress or overload, something that can be avoided with enforcement of laws. 

Each bridge presents complicated factors that must be taken into consideration, such as the geology of the surrounding area, the amount of traffic, weather and construction materials. When any of these factors are miscalculated, the result can be tragic, as in the case in Bandarban. 

Building bridges are among the most massive and expensive engineering projects and not arresting conditions that lead to their premature destruction is an unacceptable waste of taxpayers' money. A survey of all the bridges of the country should be conducted and provisions made for their repair and maintenance. Monitoring devices should be installed to record stresses on bridges.

But first and foremost, signs clearly stating the maximum weight a vehicle can carry should be posted near every bridge and owners and drivers of vehicles violating the instructions must face the full force of relevant laws.