Construction of a bridge across Kottai Vaikal on Old Karur Road under way in Tiruchi.

| Photo Credit: R. VENGADESH

Construction of the new bridge across the Kottai Vaikal on Old Karur Road in Tiruchi has been delayed after the project was stalled for over a month owing to the shifting of a drinking water pipeline.The State Highways Department demolished the old bridge in June to facilitate the construction of the new structure. However, work could not progress as the Tiruchi Corporation had to relocate a drinking water pipeline running along the canal before civil work could be taken up.With the pipeline shifting work now completed by the civic body, the State Highways Department has now resumed the construction of the bridge. A senior official said the work would be expedited and completed at the earliest.The new bridge is constructed at an estimated cost of ₹3.5 crore to replace the existing narrow and ageing structure. According to the officials, the existing bridge measures about 3.9 metres wide and 23 metres long. The new bridge will be 10 metres wide and 25 metres long, facilitating the smooth movement of buses, trucks, and other heavy vehicles.The Chathiram bus stand is one of the busiest hubs in the city, witnessing heavy vehicular and pedestrian movement throughout the day. The nearby Anna statue junction has long been a traffic bottleneck notwithstanding steps taken from time to time, including reducing the size of the roundabout and installing road dividers, to mitigate the problem.Road safety activists have repeatedly suggested restoring traffic movement from Old Karur Road through Melachinthamani towards the Kudamurutti bridge to decongest the Anna Statue junction. However, the narrow Kottai Vaikal bridge has remained a major bottleneck, restricting the movement of vehicles along the stretch.Residents expressed concern over the delay, saying the closure of the bridge had caused inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians. “It has been more than a month since the old bridge was demolished, but there has been hardly any progress. We hope the authorities will complete the work without delay,” said J. Mohan, a resident. Published - July 12, 2026 06:29 pm IST