Construction of Signature Bridge will be complete by October: CM.

Construction of the much-awaited Signature Bridge on Yamuna, which has been delayed by several years, will be completed by October, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said recently.

Mr. Kejriwal’s comments came on the sidelines of a visit by him and his Deputy Manish Sisodia to inspect the project earlier in the day, where the two witnessed the installation of the final pylon at the site.

The Chief Minister said that Delhiites have been eagerly waiting for the opening of the city’s iconic Signature Bridge. Once completed, it will share the burden of vehicular traffic currently being borne solely by the Wazirabad bridge, which is used to commute to and from both Delhi and the adjacent Ghaziabad.

Signature Bridge will connect Outer Ring Road on the western bank with Wazirabad Road on the eastern side of the Yamuna.

“Construction work on the bridge, which started in 2010, was supposed to be completed in 2013. But, it was delayed by five years. We hope that it [the construction work] will be completed by October this year,” Mr. Kejriwal said.

The Chief Minister said further that the Delhi government will release the remaining amount of around ₹100 crore to ₹125 crore either this month or the next for the project. “Now, there is no ‘if and but’ left [for non-completion of the project],” Mr. Kejriwal said further.

“A morning filled with pride as the #SignatureBridge rises with the rising sun today. CM @ArvindKejriwal & I witnessed the installation of final pylon at the site, which is at 154m height. Within 4 months the people of Delhi & the tourists will be able to stand where we do [sic],” Mr. Sisodia tweeted, along with some photos of the site inspection. Sources said the bridge was proposed for the first time in 1997, with the initial cost pegged at ₹464 crore. Announced in 2004, the project received a nod from the Delhi Cabinet in 2007. It was initially expected to be completed at a modified estimate of ₹1,131 crore before the October 2010 Commonwealth Games. The bridge obtained environmental clearance in 2011 and was then set to be completed by December 2013.

The date of completing project was pushed to June 2016 and then to July 2017, which was further pushed to December 2017.

THE HINDU