MSCL abandons hanging bridge plan

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL) has revised its earlier plan of building a hanging bridge that would connect two popular tourist spots, Sultan Battery and Tannirbhavi. The new plan involves constructing a permanent Sea-River Link road bridge, spanning 260 meters, across the Phalguni River. This bridge will not only benefit the local residents and fishermen but also provide a significant boost to tourism in the area.
The MSCL is currently in the final stages of the tender process for the construction of this permanent bridge, which will accommodate both vehicles and pedestrians. The idea of a hanging bridge connecting these two tourist destinations had been proposed long ago, with the then chief minister BS Yeddyurappa laying the foundation stone in Aug 2010. “Initially, there were plans to build a pedestrian-only hanging bridge, but it has been changed. While a bridge will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 42 crore, funds to the tune of an approximate Rs 12 crore will be spent on development of approach roads. It will be a regular bridge for vehicles as well as pedestrians. The tender process for the implementation of the project will be finalised soon,” said Arun Prabha KS, the general manager (technical) of MSCL, told TOI.
In addition to the bridge construction, the MSCL also plans to undertake area development works in Sultan Battery and Tannirbavi as part of the Waterfront Area Development Sub Project. Although the construction of a pedestrian-only hanging bridge had commenced in 2012, it was later abandoned due to technical reasons. Subsequently, MSCL decided to build the hanging bridge under its Sea-River Link project, but now, a new plan to construct a regular road bridge is in the implementation phase, he said.