Construction of Perumbalam bridge completed
The Hindu
Officials said the main structure had been completed and work on approach roads on the Perumbalam and Vaduthala sides had begun
The construction of a bridge over Vembanad Lake connecting Perumbalam island to the mainland has been completed. The bowstring arch bridge has a length of 1,157 metres and a width of 11 m.
Officials said the main structure had been completed and work on approach roads on the Perumbalam and Vaduthala sides had begun. Once completed approach roads will have a total length of 650 metres. “The project has entered the final phase. We hope to complete the construction of approach roads soon. The bridge is expected to be opened for traffic by the end of this year or in the first week of January 2025,” said an official.
The ₹100-crore project is funded under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The bridge, linking Perumbalam and Vaduthala in Arookutty, has 30 spans, including three navigation spans. Of these, 27 were constructed at a length of 35 metres each, while the three in the middle were built at 55 m each. The carriageway has a width of 7.5 m. Footpaths on both sides have a width of 1.5 m.
The construction of the bridge was a long pending demand of the people of Perumbalam, the only island grama panchayat in Alappuzha. The bridge will make travel hassle-free for around 15,000 islanders who currently use boats to commute between their village and the mainland. It is part of the government’s wider plan to connect the Cherthala-Arookutty road with the Vaikom-Poothotta-Tripunithura State highway through Perumbalam island. In the next phase, the government plans to construct a bridge connecting Perumbalam island and Vattavayal island. A third bridge will be constructed between Vattavayal and Poothotta.
The construction of all three bridges is expected to make commuting easy between Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.
The Perumbalam bridge work is being carried out by the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society.
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