Champakkara Bridge to be opened tomorrow

Construction of second bridge completed in record time: KMRL

The new Champakkara Bridge on the Vyttila-Pettah road which will be inaugurated on Thursday. Special Arrangement

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Champakkara Bridge on the Vyttila-Pettah road on Thursday.

It was built by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (DMRC) for Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) . The bridge was reconstructed as four lane, in place of a two-lane bridge that existed earlier.

The pair of two-lane bridges, one of which was opened to traffic a year ago, was constructed across the National Waterway 3, across the Champakkara Canal, says a KMRL release.

“We have completed the construction of the second bridge in a record 10 months’ time. With the opening of the new bridge, vehicular traffic will finally be smooth in the area,” said Alkesh Kumar Sarma, managing director of KMRL.

The total cost of construction of the pair of two-lane bridges is about ₹50 crore.

The bridge is 245-m long, with central span of 45-m bowstring girder, and with 7-m vertical clearance to enable safe navigation of boats beneath it.