The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is all set to start the construction work for a world-class eight-lane road bridge across Pamban Strait connecting Rameswaram Island with the mainland at an estimated cost of ₹1,250 crore. The bridge is coming up adjacent to the existing 2.345-km-long Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge and that the Bengaluru-based Feedback Infra Limited is preparing the DPR for the project. Soil testing on land and in sea on the Mandapam side has begun as Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has already sanctioned funds for the mega project. The bridge would be built on the south side, and after covering the Pamban Strait portion, it would run on pillars for nearly one km on land on the Pamban side to ensure that the habitations are least affected, official sources claimed.
