The process of obtaining approval for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed Vallakkadavu bridge in Thiruvananthapuram is in the final stage following the completion of land acquisition for the project. In response to an RTI application filed by human rights activist Ragam Raheem, the Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) informed that the land acquisition process has been completed. The department will initiate the tendering process once the DPR receives approval from the competent authorities.
Efforts to reconstruct the bridge across the Parvathy Puthanar, which forms part of the National Waterway, began in 1999. However, the project remained in limbo for years due to various reasons, despite the government issuing multiple administrative sanctions over the years. Under the latest administrative sanction, issued on January 8, 2026, the government sanctioned ₹59.20 crore for the construction of the bridge.
Fluctuating land prices were reportedly one of the major factors that delayed the reconstruction of the old Vallakkadavu bridge, a landmark structure linking the city to the coastal region and the domestic terminal of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The old bridge, which spans the TS Canal, was closed to traffic in 2022 after being declared structurally unsafe. At present, motorists use a temporary bridge constructed a few metres north of the old structure.
Due to the narrow passage underneath the temporary bridge for the water to flow, this stretch of the canal is now choked with garbage and weeds. The bridge is also a vital link on the route to the domestic terminal of the airport, the Beemapally Dargah Shareef and tourists visiting the popular Shangumughom beach. This is also the route traditionally taken by the Arattu processions of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple on their way to Shangumughom.
Published – July 04, 2026 09:03 pm IST
