Tamil Nadu gets ₹1,842-cr four-lane Bridge

The National Highways Authority of India has decided to build a new Pamban road bridge connecting Ramanathapuram with Rameshwaram-Dhanushkodi Island, at an investment of ₹1,842 crore. The new road bridge, measuring 1.880 km, is part of the project turning the National Highway-49 (NH-49) from Paramakudi to Dhanushkodi into a four-lane one. It will be built over the Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. The bridge will come up south of the existing two-lane Annai Indira Gandhi bridge, which is getting congested owing to increasing traffic volumes. The project requires about 370 hectares of land, of which just over 9 hectares form part of ESZ of Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. NHAI Project Director MS Pandian has filed an application seeking wildlife clearance from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife.

The new four-lane bridge is about 100 meters south of the existing bridge, which is a two-lane one with a balanced cantilever and one girder. It is not possible to widen it into four lanes. The design and spacing of the proposed bridge permit for future upgrades into six or even eight lanes. The NHAI has given an undertaking to the Union government that since the proposed bridge in the ESZ required an area of fewer than 50 hectares, preparation of biodiversity impact assessment report was not applicable for the project.