New Coleroon bridge in final stage of construction.

Construction of the new bridge across the Coleroon has reached the final stages and it is expected to be ready to be opened for traffic by the end of next month.

The bridge has been modelled on the Napier Bridge in Chennai with bowstring arches, giving it a unique characteristic. The bridge links Srirangam island, wedged between the Cauvery and the Coleroon, with the rest of the district on the northern side. All the 24 spans of the bridge have been constructed, sources in the Highways Department told The Hindu . The final phase of work, comprising providing a weathering course and hand rails, are currently under way. Work on laying the approach roads to the bridge on either side is under progress. Lighting arrangements have to be provided. “All these works would be completed before the end of next month,” a senior official of the department said. The bridge has been built to replace the British-built steel girder bridge, which has outlived its utility. The narrow steel bridge was declared a weak structure in 2005. Since then only light vehicles were allowed to go through the bridge and heavy vehicles have to go via the bridge on Tiruchi-Chennai Bypass Road. 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 bridge, built adjacent to the existing steel bridge built in 1935, would run for 792 metres. The bridge has 24 bowstring arches instead of the conventional parapet. The new bridge, along with a minor bridge across the adjoining Ayyan Vaical, was sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 75.47 crore. A traffic junction has been built as part of the project at the No.1 Tollgate Junction to facilitate smooth flow of traffic towards the new bridge.


THE HINDU