The construction of the Nerekadavu- Makkekadavu bridge over Vembanad Lake connecting Kottayam and Alappuzha districts will be resumed.
Officials said here on Monday that the issues pertaining to land acquisition had been resolved. The Revenue Department has started the process of acquiring land for the construction of approach roads by paying compensation to landowners before September. “After completing all the process, the land will be handed over to the Public Works Department in September. It will help restart construction of the bridge,” said an official.
Although the bridge was partially constructed, the project had hit a roadblock due to an inordinate delay in land acquisition. It was put back on track after Revenue Minister K. Rajan chaired a meeting recently.
The Nerekadavu- Makkekadavu bridge is part of the Thuravoor-Pampa highway. The bridge, once completed, will have a length of 800 meters. Of the total 22 spans, two are navigation spans in the middle each having a length of 47.16 meters. The construction of navigation spans has almost been completed. The bridge will have footpaths on both sides with a width of 1.5 metres. The approach roads each will have a length of 60 metres.
The government had sanctioned ₹151 crore for the Thuravoor-Pampa road in the 2011-12 budget. The construction of the Nerekadavu-Makkekadavu bridge was started during the tenure of the previous Left Democratic Front government, but the work came to a halt couple of years ago. Last year, the Kerala High Court directed the State government to immediately acquire land for the construction of approach roads on both sides.
The Thuravoor-Pampa highway passes through Thycattussery, Udayanapuram, Vaikom, Kaduthuruthy, Kuruvilangad, Pala, Ponkunnam, and Erumely. It will connect pilgrim centres of Thuravoor temple, Vaikom, Kaduthuruthy, Ettumanur, and Erumely. Besides, the Nerekadavu-Makkekadavu bridge will provide connectivity between the National Highway 66 at Thuravoor and the State Highway 15 at Udayanapuram.
The construction of another bridge connecting Thycattussery and Thuravoor, part of the highway project, was completed some time ago.
