11 hours ago
PWD now responsible for Signature Bridge's upkeep
The PWD is set to take over the maintenance of Signature Bridge — India's first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge — accepting the long-pending request of the Delhi Tourism and Transport Develop-ment Corporation (DTTDC) for the same, officials said.
The elevated bridge, which was opened for public use in 2018, was constructed by the DTTDC for Rs 1518.37 crore. Citing a lack of funds, the DTTDC had written to the PWD several times in previous years, requesting it to take over the maintenance of the bridge.
Officials said that while the bridge comes under PWD, DTTDC was given funds to build the bridge and maintain it for three years. After three years, the DTTDC started facing budget issues and decided to hand over the bridge to PWD, they added.
A PWD official said, 'A proposal has been received from the PWD division regarding the handing over of the Signature Bridge from DTTDC to PWD for future maintenance. The bridge is a highly specialised and technically advanced infrastructure, which requires dedicated maintenance protocols, skilled technical personnel, and specialised equipment.'
Officials further said that the existing resources available are not sufficient – either in terms of manpower or machinery – to undertake such highly-specialised maintenance without compromising safety and quality standards, risking the lives commuters who use this bridge regularly.
'Therefore, it is proposed that the issue of maintenance of this bridge may be referred to the flyover zone of PWD, which is comparatively better equipped and suitably staffed to manage both routine and specialised maintenance operations,' said an official. This was also one of the targets of PWD's 100-day plan for this year.
The bridge connects the Outer Ring Road with Northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar and Bhajanpura and provides direct connectivity to commuters travelling between Loni, Rajinder Nagar, Ghaziabad, North East, and central parts of the Capital, such as ITO. The pylon of the bridge, which is the tallest structure in Delhi, is double the height of Qutub Minar with its 154 m high viewing box, which acts as a selfie point for visitors.
