Venduruthy Bridge, Edappally RoB to be opened

KOCHI: Works Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju has said that Defence Minister A K Antony and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would inaugurate the Venduruthy Bridge and Edappally Railway Overbridge (RoB), respectively, on February 4. The construction of Venduruthy Bridge, which had been christened ‘Vikranth’, was completed after a joint effort by the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Indian Navy spending `36 crore. The need for a new bridge arose in 2005 after the old bridge became unsafe for travellers as a dredger had damaged its pillar. The minister said that though the construction of the new bridge started as a joint venture of the PWD, the Cochin Port Trust and the Indian Navy, the Port Trust withdrew from the project later. The project was then completed using funds from the Kerala Road Fund Board and the `12 crore contributed by the Navy.Ebrahim Kunju noted that the completion of the Edappally RoB marks the end of a long wait for Kochiites. Though the permission for the construction of the RoB was granted in 2004, the project was delayed owing to various reasons. The contractor who had initially taken up the project made serious lapses in completing the project in time. Hence the contract had to be cancelled, the minister said.Moreover, the original contract amount of `18 crore was later increased to `36.13 crore. Finally, the work was completed after it was handed over to a new contractor.