Completion of the high-level bridge across Then Pennar River is expected to make commute of residents easier.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The State Highways has expedited the ongoing work of the new ₹24-crore high-level bridge across Then Pennar river between Agarampallipattu and Thondamanur villages near Thandrampattu town in Tiruvannamalai, bringing relief to hundreds of residents in the surrounding 20 farming villages.Officials of State Highways, which executes the multi-crore work, said that the new bridge is a replacement for the bridge, that was washed away after the Water Resources Department (WRD) released excess rainwater of over two lakh cusecs from Sathanur dam due to heavy rain triggered by Cyclone Fengal in December 2024.“The design of the new bridge has been completely revised based on the existing water course of the river. The new facility will be ready by December 2026 for public use,” S. Dinesh, Assistant Engineer (AE), State Highways (Tiruvannamalai), told The Hindu.Highways officials said that the collapsed bridge, that was opened for public use in September 2024, collapsed three months later. On the contrary, the new bridge is being built 300 metres away from the earlier spot across the river to ensure the facility remains aligned with the river. It gives more durability to the structure. “Also, the total height of the new bridge has been increased to 10 metres from the riverbed as against four metres for the earlier bridge. The increased height helps prevent inundation of the carriageway of the bridge,” Mr. Dinesh said.Funded under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme (CRIDP) 2024-25, the new bridge will be 356-metre-long and 12-metres-wide - sufficient for two buses to ply at any given time. It will have tiled footpaths, LED lights, inlets to discharge rainwater into the river, reflectors, sign boards, and hand railings. Approach roads will be laid to connect surrounding villages with the new facility.“The new bridge should be completed before the Northeast monsoon because it will help the village get ambulance services in a short time. The new facility will also help restore bus services in villages in the area,” said D. Pulivendan, president, Thondamanur village panchayat,For residents, the new bridges will end a detour of at least 30 km to reach nearest towns like Polur, Arani, Chengam, and Tiruvannamalai. Published - July 29, 2026 05:30 am IST
