Bridge over the then Pennai River between Thondamanur and Agarampalalpatt Village in Tiruvannamei in December 2024.
The state highway department plans to build a new bridge on a high level across the then Pennar River between Agarampalpath and Thondamanur Village near Thandrambatt in Tiruvannamalai as a replacement for a collapsed bridge there because the inhabitants pushed their demand for easy connections to nearby cities.
The proposal of the ministry of the highway comes after the newly opened bridge of 15.9-Crore across the river collapsed when excess rainwater was released by more than two Lakh Cusecs released from the Sathanur dam, located 24 km from the village upstream, after severe collisions caused by Cyclone Fengal in December. “Since the bridge collapsed, we have had to trek at least 20 km to reach nearby cities like Thandrambattu, and since then it has been a long-term demand for residents of at least 8-10 villages,” said D. Pulivendan, President Thondamanur Village Panchayat.
The bridge, which collapsed, started by Minister of Public Work, Motorways and Smaller ports of EV Velu, 2 September 2024. “The technical proposal and estimated costs of the proposed bridge are ready.
According to motorways officials, the project for the construction of the proposed bridge would be carried out by the wing of the construction and maintenance of the Ministry led by P. Gnanavel, divisional engineer (DE), state highway (Tiruvannamalai), with financial resources sanctioned within the NABARD system. According to the plan, the proposed bridge will be at a high level of 250 meters long and 12 meters wide. The height of the new bridge will be at least 12 meters – five meters higher than the packed bridge.
Officials stated that increasing the height, especially the deck of the bridge, would help the structure to withstand the huge influx of excess rainwater released in the river during severe rainfall. The increase in the height of the new structure was decided on the basis of a study of massive floods that occurred over the last 100 years, officials said.
Another key change is that the proposed bridge would be built from a collapsed structure. Motorway officials attribute a change in the river course to be a reason for leaving the previous location of the bridge. “The new plan is to build a bridge at least 200 meters from the collapsed bridge, because the river is now much more equal. The study has found that the curved part of the river could be the reason for the structural instability of the former bridge that collapsed,” the clerk said.
The motorway officials said that the proposal for the new bridge was sent to the State Government for a financial review because a technical study for the project was completed. The project will be announced by the State Government in the coming weeks before offers on the new bridge.
Published – 5 June 2025 9:24 IS IS
