A delay in obtaining the Finance department's nod for the revised estimate is dragging the construction of the Nerekadavu- Makkekadavu bridge over Vembanad Lake connecting Kottayam and Alappuzha districts.
Officials of the Public Works department said the land acquisition for the project had been completed and they were awaiting the Finance department's consent to restart the stalled work. "The project was initially hit following a delay in acquiring land. Though the land acquisition was completed a few months ago, the construction firm has sought to revise the estimate due to cost escalation. We have submitted the revised estimate to the Finance department for approval," said an official.
The bridge is part of the Thuravoor-Pampa highway. The government had sanctioned ₹151 crore for the road in the 2011-12 budget. Though the bridge work got under way during the tenure of the previous Left Democratic Front government, it came to a grinding halt due to a delay in acquiring land for the construction of approach roads on both sides. In 2020, the High Court directed the State government to complete the land acquisition immediately.
The Nerekadavu-Makkekadavu bridge, once completed, will have a length of 800 meters. Of the total 22 spans, two are navigation spans in the middle each having a length of 47.16 meters. The construction of navigation spans has almost been completed. The bridge will have footpaths on both sides with a width of 1.5 metres. The approach roads each will have a length of 60 metres.
The Thuravoor-Pampa highway passes through Thycattussery, Udayanapuram, Vaikom, Kaduthuruthy, Kuruvilangad, Pala, Ponkunnam, and Erumeli. It will connect pilgrim centres of Thuravoor temple, Vaikom, Kaduthuruthy, Ettumanur, and Erumeli. Besides, the bridge will connect National Highway 66 at Thuravoor and State Highway 15 at Udayanapuram.
