The Floating Sea Bridge (FSB), the State’s first tourism project of this kind, is getting ready near the Kursura submarine museum at RK beach here. Modelled after the FSB at Chavakkad Beach in Thrissur, Kerala, the tourism spot will be opened for public by next week, according to Visakhapatnam Metro Region Development Authority (VMRDA) officials.
Mumbai-based technicians installed the project here. There will be a trial run for VMRDA officials and others before opening it to the public in the next one week.
A private company M/S Sri Sai Moksha Shipping & Logistics is operating the project in the PPP mode. It is designed in such a way that 200 people can step on the bridge at a time; one can walk 100 metres into the sea through the bridge, which rises and falls according to the waves, and the tentative entry fee is likely to be ₹100 to ₹150.
‘Zero-investment project’
“This is a zero-investment project from the government, but VMRDA will get ₹15.3 lakh per annum from the operator. We visited Thrissur last year to observe the FSB at Chavakkad Beach and found that it is very appealing to tourists. Thus, we have decided to introduce the same attraction here,” VMRDA Joint Commissioner V. Ravindra told The Hindu on Sunday.
Mr. Ravindra said that the FSB will be a 100-metre-long bridge from the beach to the sea. About 15 metres of the bridge will be laid on the beach, while the remaining 85-metre-long bridge will float on the seawater. The viewpoint is at the end of the bridge. The width of the bridge is about three metres, and it will be constructed of HDPE modular floating bricks. The estimated cost of the construction is ₹1 crore.
“We have earmarked around 100 square yards of beachfront land to set up a tourist facility for the convenience of the visitors to the FSB. There will be two boats anchored surrounding the FSB as part of the safety measures. The security personnel on these boats monitor the visitors from the sea side. Nearly 200 tourists can get onto to the FSB at a time,” Mr. Ravindra said.
