New four-lane bridge to come up across the Coleroon in two years
A new bridge would come up across the Coleroon river in
the city over the next couple of years as the British-built steel girder
bridge has outlived its utility.
The highways department commenced work on the construction of the new bridge this week.
Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa had announced in the Assembly that a new bridge
would be built across the river fulfilling a long-pending demand of
residents.
The narrow steel bridge, which can hardly
accommodate two-way traffic, was declared a weak structure in 2005, and
since then only light vehicles are allowed to go through the bridge.
Heavy
vehicles have to go via the bridge on the Tiruchi-Chennai bypass road.
The bridge links Srirangam island, wedged between the Cauvery and the
Coleroon, with the rest of the district on the northern side.
Motorists
travelling between Srirangam and the no.1 tollgate are often caught in
traffic snarls on the bridge, running for over 800 metres, in peak
hours.
The new four-lane bridge, along with a minor
bridge across the adjoining Ayyan Vaical, has been sanctioned at a cost
of Rs. 75.47 crore.
Though there has been a clamour
for a new bridge from the residents and welfare organisations, the
demand has long been ignored in view of the huge investment required for
the construction.
The new bridge will be 792 metres
in length with 24 spans of 33 metres each and built on pile foundation.
It will come close to the existing steel bridge built in 1935 by the
British, said T.Sathyamurthy, divisional engineer, highways.
Sources in the highways department indicated that the existing bridge would be retained and could be used by two-wheelers.
The new bridge would be completed within two years, they said.
Though
there is no land acquisition involved, encroachments are to be removed
on the right bank of the river. Similarly, a graveyard on the other bank
would have to be relocated.
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