A steel bridge, being constructed across river Tungabhadra near Raichur, is nearing completion and likely to be thrown open for traffic by August-end. The bridge will connect Raichur with Mantralayam in Andhra Pradesh. With the bridge construction work still going on, the devotees who visit Mantralayam for the aradhana mahotsav of Sri Raghavendra Swamy slated for next month can’t use the bridge this time too. The old bridge was washed away in the floods in 2009.
The construction of new bridge is almost over and the work on putting concrete slabs is going on and will be completed by the month-end. Curing work and laying of connecting roads on both sides of the bridge is going on in full swing. After the old bridge was washed away, a temporary bridge had been constructed. But the movement of heavy vehicles over it has been prohibited. The bridge gets submerged when the river swells after rain. But this year, the motorists can use the bridge as there is no water in the river with low rain.
Then chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa visited the bridge when it was washed away and ordered construction of a new bridge across the river. The Karnataka Road Development Corporation has designed the bridge and it is being constructed at a cost of Rs 42 crore. The work commenced about 20 months ago after the completion of tendering process. The contractor said the bridge construction work could have been completed within 20 months. But the river that swells during rain cut off the temporary road for supply trucks at the construction site, which delayed the works.