Work fast-tracked, Tamil Nadu's Cauvery bridge to open in January

TRICHY: The state highways department which is renovating the Cauvery bridge is racing to complete the work by the end of January and resume vehicular movement though it has time till May according to the contract.
The Rs 6.5crore repair works are being executed through a Chennai-based contractor round-the-clock by engaging 70 workers so as to advance the bridge’s reopening.
Workers have been struggling to remove the waste accumulated on the bridge over decades while debris from previous renovations deposited between deck slabs and pillars across the river has turned stony. The highways department has replaced 96 of the total 192 bearings in the bridge as of Saturday after clearing the stony substances.
“At least six elastomeric bearings are being replaced per day. Workers staying near the site are engaged on a shift basis to work even during the night. Vehicular movement on Cauvery bridge will resume in January,” a senior official said. Minor works such as painting are to be taken up after reopening the bridge. Ever since the bridge was commissioned in 1976 to connect Trichy mainland with Srirangam island, the elastomeric bearings were not replaced.
Placing of strip seal expansion joint between adjacent deck slabs is progressing simultaneously. The joints will cushion and ensure a smooth transition of vehicles from one deck to another. As the bridge remains closed and vehicles heading to Srirangam and Thiruvanaikoil are diverted through Trichy-Chennai NH, the temporary diversion is impacting highway traffic too. While reopening the bridge, the highways department has planned to complete the ongoing widening of Chennai trunk road.
The 1.5km road stretch between Thiruvanaikoil (near Teppakulam) and police check post near Srirangam RTO office is being widened at Rs 7 crore.