Beam Collapse Averted During Aroor-Thuravoor Highway Construction

Swift Summary

• An iron beam, 24 meters long and weighing nearly 50 tonnes, fell during dismantling at the Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway construction site on August 17, 2025.
• The incident occurred at Thuravoor Junction around 6 a.m., but no injuries were reported as traffic had been blocked during the operation.
• The beam fell after the rope from a crane snapped, landing partially on a lorry brought to transport it and partially on the road.
• Additional cranes were deployed to remove the fallen beam, causing traffic disruptions on NH 66 for about two hours.
• A similar construction-related incident was reported in March when girders of an under-construction flyover on the Alappuzha bypass road collapsed during NH 66’s widening project.

Indian Opinion Analysis

While no injuries occurred in this particular accident due to precautions such as blocking traffic, repeated structural mishaps raise concerns about safety protocols across large-scale infrastructure projects in India. Future incidents of this nature could jeopardize worker safety or public trust in these projects’ oversight mechanisms. Additionally, delays caused by such accidents can disrupt timelines for critical infrastructure improvements like those along NH 66-a vital transport corridor connecting key areas of southern India. Stringent adherence to safety standards and regular audits might help prevent recurrences while ensuring smoother execution of developmental initiatives.

Read more: The Hindu