Karnataka's longest cable-stayed bridge to come up in Shivamogga

A long-standing demand of the people of Shivamogga district will soon become a reality. By 2024, Sagar taluk will house Karnataka’s longest cable-stayed bridge at 2.25 km.

Constructed across the Sharavathi backwaters, the project is estimated to cost Rs 423 crore.

Locals had to travel about 80 km by road to reach Sagar town from Sigandur or Tumari region. With the bridge, the distance will be reduced by half.

Due to the absence of the bridge, villagers of Tumari region and devotees of the Sigandur Chowdeshwari temple, a major pilgrim centre in the state, were forced to use a launch (a large ferry) as a mode of transportation.

According to the temple authorities, around 5,000 devotees visit the temple on a daily basis and it increases to 10,000 during festivals. That apart, around 5,000 families have been relying on launches for decades. However, even these services stop after 6:30 pm. Nagendra, a native of Sagar, said, “Residents of over 40 villages of Karur hobli in Sharavathi backwater region will benefit from the bridge.”

The mechanics

The Bridge In-charge Officer Peer Pasha said, “This will be Karnataka’s longest cable-stayed bridge. Also, around 60 per cent of work has been completed.”

The bridge will be constructed using 17 pillars. A regular bridge would have needed around 100 pillars. “The cable-stayed bridge offers greater stiffness when compared to a suspension bridge,” he added. This keeps in check deformations on the deck.

Explaining the design, he said vertical loads on the deck would be supported by diagonal cable-stays that transfers loads to towers. At the tower, the horizontal components of the cables, from the main span, are in balance with those from the side or adjacent spans. The total length of the road is 4.73 km.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had laid the foundation stone of the bridge on February 19, 2018.