Decades-long wait for better connectivity of residents, who are mostly farmers, in Avarankuppam village near Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur will soon come to an end as the foundation stone was laid for the construction of a high-level bridge across the Palar river at a cost of ₹18.40 crore on Friday connecting several villages to rest of Tirupattur district.
Accompanied by Tirupattur Collector Amar Kushwaha, Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports E.V. Velu laid the foundation stone for the bridge bringing hope to thousands of farmers in over dozen villages along the river.
The new bridge will be built by NABARD and Rural Roads (RR) wing of the State Highways Department, Vellore region, in 18 months. “The new bridge will be a lifeline for the residents. Based on availability of funds, long-pending demands for such public facilities will be given priority,” said Mr. Kushwaha.
As per estimates, the new two-lane bridge will be 236 metres long and 12 metres with 10 concrete pillars on the river bed to provide stability, especially during floods and release of excess rainwater from reservoirs upstream.
The bridge will connect Avarankuppan and Narayanapuram villages on either side of the facility. Approach roads, tiled footpath on the bridge, LED street lights, drains to discharge rainwater on the bridge to the river, crash barriers and hand railings would be in place.
Villages including Avarankuppam, Thumberi, Narayanapuram, Thimmampet, Pullur, Kanaganachiammankoil, Gollapalli in Natrampalli panchayat union of Tirupattur district will be connected with rest of the district and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh (A.P.).
The villagers would now be able to transport agro products like paddy, vegetables, and handmade household items to the weekly markets in big towns using the new bridge.
More importantly, the bridge will end the de-tour of 15 km they take to get their essential commodities and transport the sick during emergencies.
