THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department is gearing up to install three hydraulic steel bridges on the 18.5km-long Kovalam-Akkulam waterway. A proposed boat jetty each at Kovalam and Vallakadavu aim to expedite tourism activities and increase facilities for visitors. Even the renovation of Parvathy Puthanar, to clean it up and make it navigable, is proceeding at a fast pace now. TNIE takes a comprehensive look.
As part of the rejuvenation project that aims to make the18.5km waterway from Kovalam to Akkulam navigable, the Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department is gearing up to install three hydraulic steel bridges at crucial points along the stretch. After Conolly Canal, the Kovalam- Akkulam stretch would be the first waterway in the state to get vertical lifting steel bridges in the state. Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Co Ltd (KEL) has already submitted the design for one of the hydraulic steel bridges—coming up at Karikkakom. An official associated with the project said that the designs of the second and third bridge would be submitted this week.
Panathura and Puthenpalam are the other two locations where the vertical lifting steel bridges are coming up. Each bridge which is estimated to cost around Rs 3 crore would have a width of 4.5 metres. The bridge weighing approximately 34 tonnes would get vertical clearance of five metres, making way for cruise ships and passenger boats. “There will be only one-way traffic on the bridge and vehicles wider than three metres can use it,” said the official.
Lifting bridge a better option
A similar structure is installed at Conolly Canal in Kozhikode but it is operated very rarely. The Kovalam-Akkulam stretch is being developed as part of the National Waterways Project. As per specifications, there needs to be adequate vertical clearance for the bridge. “A lifting bridge is more feasible compared to a normal one as it has to be constructed with elevation. This would mean the entire road stretch needs to be elevated, meaning there would be land acquisition hurdles which would make the project more expensive and time-consuming. A vertical lifting bridge would resolve this issue and the project can be set up within a span of one year,” said an official of KEL.
Boost for local tourism
Meanwhile, plans are in place to set up two boat jetties—one at Kovalam and another one at Vallakadavu, to begin boat services that would improve tourism in the state capital. “We have identified an acre of land at Kovalam for setting up the boat jetty. The land acquisition proposal has been submitted to the revenue authorities. The land belongs to a single owner, so we expect less complications. The revenue authorities have requested us to pay Rs 13 lakh as contingency,” said the official. The identified land comes close to the Taj Green Cove Spa and Resort at Kovalam. According to sources, Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL) may be entrusted with the project to set up the boat jetties.