Apr 06, 2025 06:02 AM IST
The estimated cost of the project is ₹7.3 crore and it will be completed within 11 months, officials said.
The Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma and member of parliament (MP) Bansuri Swaraj on Saturday laid the foundation stone of a culvert bridge on the Ratan Lal Sahdev Marg in Defence Colony.
The bridge will be built over the main drain in the area and will be 25 metre long and 18 metre wide with four lanes — two on each side. The estimated cost of the project is ₹7.3 crore and it will be completed within 11 months, officials said.
“This road leads to Barapullah, a critical corridor for commuters, and the bridge was a long-standing demand of residents for the past three-four years. We had promised that the work will begin in April, and today, that promise has been fulfilled. The bridge will be constructed and dedicated to the public within 11 months. All of this has been made possible due to the strength of the double engine government,” Verma said at the ceremony.
A bridge already exists over the drain, but it is in a dilapidated condition and will have to be demolished by the contractor. The new bridge will be constructed in its place that will have a single span with two abutment piers (support structures). The work broadly comprises construction of a steel concrete structure with steel plate girders and an RCC deck slab.
Notably, a portion of the bridge had collapsed in December 2023. The repair kept getting delayed due to several reasons such as less tender cost, weather conditions, two elections and transfers in the department. The PWD minister had visited the stretch in February and asked the officials to start the repairs by April so the stretch that connects the area with Barapullah can be reopened for movement of vehicles.
“Approach roads and a pavement or footpath will also have to be constructed on both sides of the bridge. The carriageway will then have to be merged with the approach roads. Following this, the old and abandoned bridge will have to be dismantled, which may require temporary diversions in drain,” a PWD official said.
Residents complained to the PWD minister about the traffic hurdles and restrictions on movement as the road around the bridge has remained shut for over a year now.
