New high level bridge opened across Palar river in Tirupattur

A new high-level bridge across Palar river at Pachakuppam village near Ambur town in Tirupattur was opened on Thursday, bringing relief to residents in at least 20 surrounding villages.

Officials of State Highways, which built the facility, said that the new bridge has been built between Panchakuppam and Azhuchikuppam villages that comes under Madhanur panchayat union in Tirupatur district. The new bridge replaces the existing 1970’s built causeway, which was damaged during 2021 floods. “The new bridge is built at a height of 15 feet from the river bed to prevent inundation even during massive floods. Using the bridge, people can safely cross the river during monsoon,” K.R. Rajathi, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), State Highways (NABARD), told The Hindu.

Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu inaugurated the bridge in the presence of Collector K. Sivasoundaravalli and Vellore MP D.M. Kathir Anand. The new bridge will end the detour of at least 15 km to reach big towns like Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Jolarpet and Vellore by surrounding villages. “During monsoon, we had to carry sick persons in chest-deep water in the river to reach government hospitals in Ambur. Now, ambulances can reach the needy by using the new bridge,” S. Bakkiyam, a resident.

Funded by NABARD under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) -158 scheme for 2022-23, the two-lane bridge is 275m long and 12m wide — enough for two buses to be used at the same time. Around two lakh residents including farmers and traders along the river will be benefitted as they can reach other places much faster. School students can pedal their way to the nearest schools across the river.

As Palar river witnesses flow of excess rainwater during monsoon, the new bridge has been built at 1.35 feet higher than the maximum flood that occured in the river in the past 100 years to prevent inundation of carriageway and damage to its structure. The new facility can discharge around 50,000 cusecs of water per second. It has tiled footpaths, LED lights, inlets to discharge rainwater into the river, reflectors, sign boards and hand railings.

The new bridge is a lifeline for at least 20 surrounding villages including Melpati, Nariyambattur, Rajakkal, Alinjikuppam, Kothakuppam, Vasanthapuram, M.V. Kuppam, Reddimangukuppam and Sankarapuram.