CHENNAI: State Highways Minister E V Velu on Wednesday said the glass bridge linking Vivekananda Rock and the Tiruvalluvar statue in Kanniyakumari is completely safe, and the cracks reported earlier have been fixed.
Addressing reporters at the secretariat, Velu explained that during maintenance on August 16, a hammer accidentally fell from a height of eight metres while bolts were being tightened, causing a crack on the top layer of the glass floor. To ensure visitor safety, the damaged section was immediately closed.
A new glass panel of the same quality, measuring 2 metres in length and 2.4 metres in width, was installed on September 8. The bridge also underwent a load test following the replacement.
"The 77-metre-long glass bridge is safe for public use," Velu said, adding that it can accommodate up to 650 visitors at a time. The contractor, responsible for maintaining the bridge for 10 years, bore the cost of replacing the cracked portion. So far, more than 17 lakh people have visited the glass bridge, the minister noted.