Southern States - Kerala-Kochi   

Goshree bridges: GIDA satisfied with progress of work

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI NOV. 22. The National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), which has been entrusted with the task of designing the three junctions that forms part of the road that links Vypeen to the Ernakulam mainland via the Vallarpadam island, will submit the drawings to the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) on Monday.

The three junctions on the 3.2-km bridge and the road link between the three islands and the mainland falls at Vallarpadam, Mulavukadu and Ernakulam bridge head. The junctions would be designed aesthetically keeping in mind the convenience of the people, a GIDA official said here today.

With just 117 days more left for the completion of the three Goshree bridges, a review committee called by the GIDA secretary and District Collector, Gyanesh Kumar, this evening at his camp office expressed satisfaction at the progress of the work so far.

It is expected that by November 29, work on the first two bridges, between Ernakulam and Mulavukadu, and Mulavukadu and Vallarpadam, will be completed. By that time, the complete pile capping work for the third bridge, between Vallarpadam and Vypeen, will also be completed.

The GIDA officials expressed optimism at the pace of the work and wanted to get ready for the next GIDA general council meeting, scheduled for December 29. The Chief Minister who is also the chairman of the council, will visit the bridges site after the meeting.

Work on the roads that will link the bridge heads on the islands have also begun in right earnest. The most crucial road linking Ernakulam bridge head to the Shanmugham road has been taken up. Work on the box culvert on the Railway Canal has already begun. Work on the 700-metre road had been pending for a long time now.

GIDA officials also said that by December 15 work on the bridges are likely to be complete leaving the rest of the period for the finishing works. The officials said that work on the hand railings, lamp posts and cable laying on the first of the three bridges had been completed.

Besides the District Collector, officials from the GIDA and Afcons Infrastructure, works contractors for the project took part in the review meeting.

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