Bridge from Sulthan Bathery to Tannirbhavi to be ready by August-September: Dinesh Gundu Rao

Mangaluru: District-in-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao inspected the construction of ongoing vehicular bridge from Sulthan Bathery to Tannirbhavi across Gurupura river under Mangaluru Smart City Mission by Mangaluru Smart City Limited on Friday and said that the bridge is likely to be inaugurated either during last week of August or first week of September.

He said the work on the bridge has been accelerated. The jacking up of the bow string girder will be taken up in June. The work on the bridge is taken up at a cost of Rs 64 crore.

The bridge has been built as per the provisions mandated by the National Waterways 43 and there will be no hindrance for the movement of boats in the river.

The minister said that all kinds of vehicles will be allowed on the bridge after its completion. The bridge is expected to enhance tourism potential in the coastal belt including Tannirbhavi Blue-flag Beach and surrounding areas, he added.

According to officials, the project is 285 meter length and includes a bow-string girder for providing an uninterrupted navigation span of 100 metres and vertical clearance of 10 metres. Once completed, the bridge will provide direct connectivity between Bengre/Tannirbhavi region and the core areas of Mangaluru city.

District in Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao speaks to media people during his visit to inspect the construction of bridge from  Sulthan Bathery to Tannirbhavi across Gurupura river.

The bridge consists of a bow-string structural steel member with a clear span of 100 meter length and height of 10 meters from High Tide Line as mandated by the provisions of “National Waterways 43”.

The project will benefit nearly 4,000 families residing in the Bengre area, who presently face connectivity constraints to access the city mainly during rainy season, medical emergencies and for commuting during the night. At present, the residents mainly depend on ferry services for commuting across the river.

The existing ferry services do not operate during night hours, monsoon periods and rough weather conditions. In the absence of ferry connectivity, the residents are compelled to travel through the existing road route via Kuloor, covering approximately 15-km. Due to traffic congestion, the present road journey takes about 30 to 35 minutes to reach the city, said the officials.

Upon completion of the bridge, the travel time between Bengre/Tannirbhavi and Mangaluru city will be drastically reduced to approximately 8 to10 minutes.

The project will strengthen social and economic integration between coastal settlements and the mainland urban area of Mangaluru, said the officials.