Locals pin the blame on shoddy construction and demand rigorous investigation

SHANGHAI - The partial collapse of a bridge early on Friday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, that left one person injured, has sparked claims of substandard construction and questions about whether corruption was involved.

The collapse happened at around 2 am on Friday, as a truck over-loaded with steel plates was crossing the bridge. The driver jumped from the truck and was being treated in hospital for his injuries.

More than 100 tons of steel plates were collected from the scene, an official said at a news conference on Friday.

Footage from a surveillance camera shows that minutes before the cave-in, two trucks each loaded with more than 100 tons of cargo passed on the bridge, the official said.

The collapse left a hole, 20 meters long and 1 m wide, on the right lane of the No 3 Qiantang River Bridge, Xinhua News Agency quoted a traffic police officer at the scene as having said.

But officials refused to give specific and detailed reasons for the accident and said they are still investigating the cause.

"I hope the government will instigate a thorough investigation of the accident, revealing who is responsible for the collapse," said a woman surnamed Ding.

"Severe punishment is necessary, if any corruption was found," she added.

Local media said that the bridge was constructed by the State-owned Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group, the contractor of a 328-meter bridge in Fenghuang county, in Central China's Hunan province, that collapsed in 2007, killing 64 people and injuring 22 others.

The group was quick to deny the report.

"The collapsed section of the bridge was not constructed by our company, but another construction company in Zhejiang province," it said, although it did not mention the name of the construction company concerned.

The No 3 Qiantang River Bridge opened to traffic in 1997, but large-scale maintenance work, lasting almost a year, was carried out in 2005, which drew concern about the quality the bridge's construction among local residents.

"Many construction accidents have been reported in recent years, such as the collapsed bridge in Fenghuang, Hunan province," said an architect who declined to be named, adding that corruption is always the behind such stories.

"Some unprincipled contractors often opt for shoddy materials and use unqualified labor in order to reduce their costs," he said.

The bridge and several roads leading to the bridge were closed after the accident, but two-way traffic has now resumed on the left lane of the bridge.

"We are forming plans to repair the bridge, and will invite some experts to participate in the work," an official said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/16/2011 page3)