KOCHI: The Kumbalam-Thevara bridge, a long-pending demand which would substantially reduce commuting time between the city and its southern outskirts, is finally set to become a reality.
Despite having received a budgetary allocation from the state government in 2016, the project failed to take off following opposition from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), which argued the bridge would obstruct the movement of vessels along National Waterway 3.
Now, after numerous revisions of design and alignment, the IWAI is set to give a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the PWD Bridges Section, the implementing agency. Another major issue, that of land acquisition, too has been sorted out with the officials completing the survey.
“Initially, we planned to construct a straight bridge connecting Kumbalam to Thevara Ferry. However, the IWAI expressed reservations, citing the bridge pillars would obstruct the smooth passage of vessels along National Waterway 3. We’ve to change the alignment five times and the bridge design six times to finally satisfy the IWAI authorities. Now we expect the NOC from the central agency by next week,” said a senior PWD official.
The department has also begun attempts to get the Coastal Regulation Zone clearance, for which an agency has started a rapid Social Impact Study, the official said.
An IWAI official confirmed that the regional office had forwarded a report on providing NOC to the bridge project to the headquarters in Noida three weeks ago.
“The same is now expected in a week’s time,” the official said.
The bridge will now be constructed in a curved manner, with a total length of 714.70 metres. It will start from Thevara Ferry and land beside the Water Metro terminal at Kumbalam. A total of 23 pillars will be constructed across the Kumbalam kayal.
The issues related to the acquisition of around 30 cents of land have also been resolved and the individual surveys completed, the PWD official said.
“The next step is the issuance of 19(1) notification, following which an estimate of the project cost will be prepared and submitted to the KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board). Since the project received financial approval long back, the tendering process can be initiated without delay,” the official added.
The bridge will reduce the travel distance between Kumbalam and Thevara by nearly 10km and save half an hour. The issue had grabbed attention after local residents held a hunger strike a decade ago, demanding bridge connectivity. In 2016, KIIFB approved `97.45 crore for the project. As per the initial proposal, the bridge was expected to be completed within 36 months, but it never took off.
Once the bridge is built, the residents of Kumbalam, Aroor, and Nettoor and Thevara can travel to and from these areas without having to navigate city traffic. Despite being just four kilometres away from the city, Kumbalam residents now have to travel 16 to 18km on the busy Aroor-Edappally stretch of NH 66 and get past four traffic signals to reach Kochi.