Durgam Cheruvu cable-stayed bridge to be ready by July- end

It is being constructed at a cost of ₹184 crore

Work on the cable-stayed bridge on Durgam Cheruvu has reached finishing stages.

The first-ever cable-stayed bridge of the city at Durgam Cheruvu, which is as much publicised for its aesthetic value as for its commute facility, might be opened for traffic by July-end.

Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, K.T. Rama Rao tweeted a video clip of the bridge on Monday, and captioned it saying, “The world’s largest extradosed cable-stayed bridge in concrete across Durgam Cheruvu lake in Hyderabad is getting ready for inauguration soon.” and hash-tagged it as #HappeningHyderabad.

Civil works of the bridge have long been completed, and the job of installing side railings and architectural lighting were in progress, when works had to be stalled owing to the spread of COVID-19.

L&T Constructions, the agency carrying out the project work as part of the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP), stopped the work even before the lockdown was imposed throughout the country in order to curtail the spread of novel coronavirus, officials said.

The bridge works has not progressed much since then, and it will take about a month’s time for the remaining works to be completed, they said.

“After lockdown, the agency did not do any work citing its internal policy. After continuous persuasion, the work restarted slowly two to three weeks ago,” an official informed.

Since then, part of the road work has been completed. Lighting too has been installed partially, and a few more finishing works are pending, which will need 30 working days, officials informed.

For the bridge to be launched, however, the flyover under construction on Road No.45, Jubilee Hills needs to be ready, which may take more than two months’ time.

Once complete in all respects, the cable stayed bridge will shorten the distance between Madhapur and Jubilee Hills and connect the Hitech city and Financial district with the rest of the city. It is also expected to ease traffic congestion on Road No. 36 and Madhapur.

Length of the bridge alone is 426 metres, and coupled with approaches, it will reach up to 736 metres. Being constructed at a cost of ₹184 crore, the structure is being touted as the longest extradosed cable-stayed bridge in the world.