Malappuram: The state government has accorded administrative sanction for the preliminary works of the state’s first cantilever bridge proposed to be built in Ponnani. A high level meeting convened on Tuesday at the chamber of Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan and attended by Public Works minister G. Sudhakaran sanctioned works to the tune of Rs 100 crore.
The meeting which was also attended by top officials of the public works, harbour and roads and bridges departments has also decided to release more funds according to the requirements after the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the proposed hanging bridge connecting Ponnani and Padinjarekkara beach in the district.
The government has appointed the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala as the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the project. A committee of secretaries of the Public works, harbour, fisheries and National highway departments has also been formed for the coordination. The project will be implemented on the basis of Engineering Procurement and Construct (EPC) model through inviting a global tender. Under this model, the contractor will be made responsible for all the activities from design, procurement, and construction to commissioning and handing over to the end user.
Once built, the proposed Rs 238 crore suspension bridge in Ponnani will beat the Howrah bridge of Kolkata which is the sixth largest cantilever bridge in the world.
The one kilometer long bridge will have features to allow ships to sail under it unlike the Howrah bridge. The government had earlier decided to realign the coastal highway to connect it with Ponnani bridge which would further reduce eight kilometers of distance between Kozhikode and Kochi with minimal displacement besides giving a fillip to tourism and coastline developments.
