THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The footover bridge at East Fort is all set to be opened in the last week of December. The construction work of the overbridge is 90 per cent completed and only final touches are to be done, Mayor S Arya Rajendran has said. The skywalk is equipped with a lift to help elderly people and differntly-abled cross the busy stretch.
The overbridge has been designed without damaging the rich heritage of the East Fort. The project was delayed several times because of the archaeology department’s intervention. The department suggested changing the skywalk’s design saying it could affect the traditional look around East Fort. The corporation had launched the Rs 2.75-crore foot over bridge project two years ago.
Former public works minister G Sudhakaran launched it with much hype in June 2019 and the deadline of the project was set in March 2020. However, the pandemic and the suggestions of the archaeology department delayed the project.
The project is being executed under a public-private-partnership between the city corporation and Sun Infrastructure Private Ltd. The cost of the project and its maintenance will be borne by the company as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility activities, in exchange for, the Corporation’s permission to use the space for their advertisement.
However, the Kerala Road Fund Board had insisted on retaining complete control over the bridge after the construction. The company has now been denied permission to post advertisements as East Fort is a heritage site.
The heavy traffic and the lack of a proper walkway had resulted in a lot of accidents at East Fort with 16 deaths recorded in three years. The foot over bridges at the nearby Government Girls' Higher Secondary School, Cotton Hill, and St Mary's Higher Secondary School in Pattom were opened giving a huge relief to the pedestrians.