A bow string steel bridge would soon be moved into position, marking a significant progress in the construction of the new overbridge near the Railway Junction in Tiruchi.

Work on the fabrication and assembly of the steel bridge on site has been completed and the pre-fabricated structure is expected to be “launched” by around August 20.

The project is executed jointly by the Railways and the State Highways Department. While the Southern Railway Construction Organisation is building the bridge above the busy Tiruchi-Madurai line, the Highways Department has taken up construction of the approaches at a cost of about ₹16 crore. The bridge would provide a vital link between the Central Bus Stand/Railway Junction and Mannarpuram, leading towards the highways around the city.

At present, work is under way to facilitate the “launching” of the bow string bridge since July 30. A temporary girder with rails are being installed for moving the bridge into place. A heavy-capacity 700-tonne crane would be deployed for moving into place the steel structure weighing about 650 tonnes.

According to sources, a technical team has inspected and certified the structure. While its total width will be 13.5 metres, the carriageway will be 10.5 metres wide. After the bridge is moved into position, concreting and other allied works would be taken up, railway sources said.

Once the structure is in place, the Highways Department would begin building the approach roads on the Mannarpuram arm. Although the department had begun construction of the approach roads towards the Central Bus Stand side, it has not been able to take up work on the Mannarpuram arm running for about 400 metres in length as work on the railway portion of the project was under way. The department would need about five to six months to complete the approach roads and the bridge is expected to be commissioned by January 2027. The first of the two-stage project was completed in 2023.

Published - August 03, 2026 06:39 pm IST