KOCHI: The prolonged closure of the Chilavannoor bund road bridge, a vital link between Panampilly Nagar and Vyttila, continues to upend the lives of local residents and commuters.
“There has been no clear communication whatsoever about when the bridge will actually be completed. Nobody seems to be accountable. Nobody seems to be bothered… I only wish for this bridge to be finished and for our lives to return to some sense of normalcy,” lamented script writer/subtitlist Vivek Ranjit, a resident of Chilavannoor. The less-than-200-metre bridge was shut in 2024 to construct a new structure with increased height, to facilitate the passage of water metro boats.
The Rs 38.77-crore project, approved the year before and part of KMRL’s integrated urban regeneration and water transport system, was funded by the KIIFB and awarded to Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society. At the time, the bridge was projected not only as a transport link but also as a public space, with footpaths, viewing galleries, benches, trees and kiosks. Boat connectivity was also planned from the Thevara and Kumbalam regions to the Elamkulam metro station.
However, the project has since missed multiple deadlines, frustrating commuters. For many, the bridge was once a key non-arterial “shortcut” route, especially for two-wheelers, easing pressure on the Sahodaran Ayyappan (SA) road.
When TNIE sought a response about the delay, a KMRL official said, “There were hurdles, and some, on account of tidal flooding and waterlogging issues. That said, the work has indeed picked up pace and will be completed very soon.”
“The spans of this new bridge are in steel. They are being made in Erode and have to be brought here to be set up. The work on the approach roads also remains,” he added. This assumes significance given how a majority of the substructure was completed nearly a year ago. By March 2025, of the 36 piles, all were finished, along with 5 of the 8 pile caps. Three of the 16 girders were also erected.
The target at the time was to complete the bridge by November of that same year. However, the final stretch of the work lagged, with minimal activity observed at the site over the past few months.
“A couple of workers can be seen casually chilling atop the half-constructed new bridge. Just two … not working, but merely standing there and talking. Is this really all the manpower assigned to a project that has held an entire neighbourhood hostage for over two years?” wrote Vivek in his Facebook post, which has since received considerable attention.
Many residents now say their primary demand is not additional amenities or beautification, but the early restoration of a functional crossing to ease daily travel and restore basic connectivity across the canal.