PRAYAGRAJ, Sept. 11 -- Thousands of commuters, including schoolchildren, teachers, advocates, traders and patients, were stranded in a massive traffic jam for hours on Wednesday morning as repair work on the kilometre-long Phaphamau bridge got underway. Many were forced to walk a couple of kilometres between Phaphamau crossing and Teliyarganj intersection. The Chandrashekhar Azad bridge, popularly known as Phaphamau bridge, has been closed for 15 days for repair of seven expansion joints. On the first day, work began on three joints, with parts around them dug up. Assistant engineer Vishal Seth said concrete would be poured on Thursday, with a target to repair three joints in seven days. From 6am, traffic snarled at Phaphamau intersection as thousands of two-wheelers choked the route. Children struggled to reach their schools, while traffic police tried to clear the jam, allowing movement through a narrow path around 9am. Executive engineer (NH Section, PWD) Ravindra Pal Singh said the inconvenience could have been avoided if the six-lane bridge had been completed in time. "The bridge's expansion joints have deteriorated due to heavy vehicle load. Repairs cannot be postponed further. All seven joints will be fixed within the stipulated 15 days," he said....