Centre’s final green signal to cable bridge at Somasila

Hyderabad: The Union government has given its final nod for the construction of an iconic cable bridge across the river Krishna at Somasila connecting AP and Telangana states. This bridge will be developed as a tourist destination on AP and Telangana border.

The bridge is being taken up at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. Another Rs 500 crore will be spent on developing it as a tourist spot. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and National Highways will finalise the bids for the works soon, officials said.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) top officials said that sketches and models for the proposed cable bridge were also finalised. The cable bridge will be part of the development of the National Highway 167 which connects the two Telugu states. The two states have come forward to support the project without raising any bifurcation-related issues in the construction and the development of the new highway on a 179-km stretch into four lanes. The NHAI had sought the cooperation of the two states for land acquisition and logistical support for taking up the cable bridge works.

Officials said the bridge will reduce the distance and travel time between Hyderabad and temple town of Tirupati by at least 80 km. At present, it takes 10 to 11 hours to travel a 550-km distance between the two cities. The travel time between the Temple town and Hyderabad will be reduced by at least one hour after the completion of the cable bridge.