Hyderabad: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s plan for a suspension bridge like the Golden Gate bridge in San Fransico across the Durgam Cheruvu may not take off due to high costs.
RITES has put the basic cost of the project at Rs 300 crore, and it may go up if like land acquisition costs are added. The agency recently submitted its report to the government. APIIC, which was asked to take up the project for improving connectivity to Hitec city and reduce traffic congestion on Jubilee Hills — Madhapur road, engaged RITES to prepare the project report.
“RITES studied four types of bridges — cable stayed, girder, suspension and arch bridge — and suggested a combination of girder and cable stayed bridge,” said an APIIC official. The CM sanctioned Rs 40 crore for the project.
RITES estimated that it would cost at least Rs 60 crore to provide approach roads to the bridge. While the basic cost of the cable stayed bridge will be Rs 181 cr, it will be Rs 240 cr for the girder bridge and Rs 223 cr for a suspension bridge. The cheapest is an arch bridge costing Rs 107 cr.
The famous Golden Ears bridge in Vancouver, Canada, is an extradosed bridge. In India, Gujarat proposed the longest extradosed bridge across the Narmada. The cost of the 1.44 km bridge is estimated at Rs 650 cr.
An extradosed bridge is a cross between a girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. The name comes from the French word extradossé, and is derived from extrados, the exterior curve of an arch.
The first extradosed bridge in India was built for the Delhi Metro between Pragati Maidan and Indraprastha. APIIC wanted to brief the Chief Minister on the preliminary estimates and take his approval to proceed further.
