Malappuram: A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will soon be formed to build Kerala’s first cantilever bridge connecting Ponnani and Padinja-rekkara beaches in the district.
A high-level meeting convened in the chamber of Speaker P. Sreera-makrishnan, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in attendance two days ago, took some key decisions including realignment of the proposed coastal highway in order to connect it with the bridge to reduce the distance between Kozhikode and Ernakulam.
A meeting of the top official would soon be convened to form an exclusive SPV for the implementation of the '238 crore suspension bridge. The task has been entitled to the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala. The Public Works and Harbour departments would jointly supervise the SPV.
The meeting has decided to invite global tender for the implementation of the project and realign the coastal highway to connect it with the proposed bridge which would further reduce eight kilometers of distance between Kozhikode and Ernakulam with minimal displacement. Earlier, the highway was proposed to connect with the Chamravattom Bridge.
The budget had earmarked Rs 100 crore for the nearly a kilometre long suspension bridge which is expected to give a fillip to the tourism and coastline developments.
Once built the bridge would beat the Howrah Bridge in West Bengal which is the sixth largest cantilever bridge in the world. According to the detailed project report prepared by the Greater Cochin Development Authority, the Ponnani bridge will have features to allow ships to sail under it unlike the Howrah bridge.
Ministers G. Sudha-karan and Dr K.T. Jaleel were also present at the meet convened by Speaker Sriramakrishnan who represents the Ponnani constituency.
