Traffic will resume on old Pandameru bridge today

Anantapur: Vehicular movement on the old Pandameru bridge near RDT cricket stadium and TV tower in Anantapur city will resume from Thursday, following the completion of major repairs.

The bridge was closed for the past eight months after heavy rains in October last year caused severe flooding in the stream below and damaged bridge bearings, making travel unsafe.

MLA Paritala Sunitha inspected the site with engineering officials at that time and instructed that traffic be diverted to the adjacent new bridge in one-way mode to avoid disruption.

A repair proposal costing Rs 1 crore was sent to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the project was sanctioned on March 27 this year. The contract was awarded on April 29 to Mumbai-based Tech Fast Rebuild Pvt. Ltd, which was expected to be completed in six months at an estimated cost of Rs 85 lakh. But, under the supervision of MLA Sunitha and NH engineers, the project was finished within three months.

MLA Sunitha stated that though the closure caused inconvenience to commuters, it was necessary for safety.