The construction of a bridge over Vembanad Lake connecting Perumbalam Island to the mainland in the Aroor Assembly constituency is making good progress.
Officials said here on November 7, 2022, that 40% of the works, including piling, construction of pile caps and all 31 pillars, had been completed. Installation of girders has been going on. The ₹100-crore project funded under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board is expected to be opened for traffic by December 2023.
Once completed, the bridge will have a length of 1,110 m and a width of 11 m. The width of the carriageway will be 7.5 m. Footpaths on both sides will have a width of 1.5 m. Of the total 27 spans, each having a length of 35 m, three are navigation spans in the middle. The three spans in the middle will be constructed at a height of 55 m.
The bridge links Perumbalam and Vaduthala in Arookutty village. Officials said that approach roads with a total length of 550 m would be constructed on both ends. A total of 2.68 acres of land will have to be acquired for the purpose.
After a long wait
The construction of the bridge was a long pending demand. The bridge, once materialised, will make travel hassle-free for around 15,000 islanders who currently use boats to commute between their village and the mainland. It is part of the government’s wider plan to connect the Cherthala-Arookutty road with the Vaikom- Poothotta-Tripunithura State highway through Perumbalam island. In the next phase, it plans to construct a bridge connecting Perumbalam Island and Vattavayal Island. A third bridge will be constructed between Vattavayal and Poothotta.
The construction of all three bridges will make commuting easy between Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.
Daleema Jojo, MLA, said the construction of the Perumbalam bridge would be completed within a time-frame. The work is being carried out by the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society.
Published - November 07, 2022 05:39 pm IST
