The survey is still going on and the final report is likely to be ready by the next week, following which a decision will be taken as to which ones will be repaired or demolished, officials said.

“After recent incidents of bridges collapsing in neighbouring Bihar, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed us to conduct a thorough inspection of the old bridges in Uttar Pradesh. The idea is to identify the bridges which can be repaired or the ones that have to be dismantled,” Minister of State (Public Works Department) Brijesh Singh told The Indian Express.

These bridges are not being checked just for their “superstructure” but also the piers on which they stand. Also is being checked if there is any blockage in their waterways that can lead to holding of water during heavy rain and cause further damage, scour, abutment etc, it is learnt.

The PWD will also prepare an online data of all the bridges, with details of their construction, maintenance as well as the required repair.

“The bridges found unsafe during the inspection will be closed for traffic, while the needful will be done for those requiring repair. The process is on,” a senior officer said.

There are a large number of bridges in the state which were constructed during the British era, including in the state capital Lucknow, neighbouring Kanpur and other districts.

Officials said on the direction of the Chief Minister, they are also exploring the idea of roping in experts, especially from an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), for advice and future planning.