Despite NH 66 'fault lines', NHAI delivers balanced cantilever bridge

The 1.03-km-long bridge, built in record 604 days, is the only one of its kind on project stretch

- KRISHNA KUMAR K E @Kochi

EVEN as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) faces backlash over the collapse of an under-construction stretch of NH 66 at Kooriyad in Malappuram, it has successfully completed construction of the only balanced cantilever bridge — in Varappuzha — that is part of the road-widening project.

Considered a complex construction activity, the 1.03-km-long balanced cantilever bridge was completed in a record 604 days at a cost of ₹100 crore.

The old Varappuzha bridge over the Periyar River, inaugurated on January 16, 2001, was the first balanced cantilever bridge constructed in Kerala. It went on to bag structural awards.

"We opted for the balanced cantilever technology to cater to navigational requirements, as the bridge falls under the purview of the Inland Waterways Authority of India, which mandates minimum vertical and horizontal clearance for the safe passage of vessels and ships," a senior NHAI official said.