Gandhinagar bridge to be thrown open to traffic by July.

Constructing a bridge in two months may seem too ambitious a proposition in this part of the world. But, the corrugated-steel arch bridge linking Gandhinagar with the eastern entry to Ernakulam Junction railway station - work on which began in May-end - is expected to be thrown open to traffic by July-end.

The Greater Cochin Development Authority's (GCDA) work on the 14-metre-long, eight-metre-wide bridge that will replace the small culvert that existed here is progressing as scheduled, defying the monsoon.

'The advantages are many – the bridge can be built fast and costs approximately Rs.1 crore whereas a conventional bridge would cost Rs. 1.50 crore and takes much more time to build. This type of Korean technology for bridge construction is being adopted for the first time in Kerala. Technicians from Mumbai are expected to arrive in a week to assemble and put the structure in place,' said GCDA chairman N. Venugopal.

THE HINDU