Construction of new bridge across River Cauvery in Tiruchi to gather steam by month-end

State Highways Department to construct new bridge across Cauvery connecting Srirangam and Tiruchi city after delta irrigation season.

The State Highways Department is set to give a push to the construction of a new bridge across the Cauvery, connecting Srirangam and Tiruchi city, once the delta irrigation season ends later this month.

The Highways Department, which had commenced work on the new bridge in July this year, could not execute much work on the site due to the near continuous flow of water in the river in the following months.

The forthcoming Mettur closure period (between January 28 and June 12, the customary dates for the closure and opening of the Mettur Dam, respectively) would provide a much needed window for the Highways Department to take up the work on full swing.

However, over the past few months, the Department had taken up several off site works, including the process of acquiring about 2,283 square metres of land, shifting of utilities and getting ready pre-stressed concrete girders to be used for the new bridge.

A proposal for issuing 15 (1) notification under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act for the land acquisition has been sent to the government for approval by the Revenue authorities and the notification is expected to be issued soon.

As the water flow had come down in recent days, a temporary sand bund was being raised around the test pile to create a working platform to conduct initial pile load tests. About 120 piles will have to be erected for the new bridge which would have 16 spans.

Work on building the piles would get underway in full swing by the end of this months, sources in the Highways Department said. “We are looking to complete a major portion of the project by December,” an official said.