Signature Bridge from October

New Delhi, July 12: India’s first asymmetrical cable-stayed Signature bridge connecting the Outer Ring Road with Wazirabad will open by October end, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. “The Delhi Cabinet cleared the proposal for the final payment for Signature Bridge. Ninety-six per cent of the work is already complete. Now there should be no hurdles in opening the bridge by October 31,” Sisodia tweeted.

The signature bridge project was approved in 1997 after an accident on the narrow Wazirabad bridge wherein a school bus fell into the Yamuna, killing 22 children. The completion of the bridge has been delayed by several years due to inadequate funds. Even the project cost has increased from Rs 1,100 crore to Rs 1,575 crore, becoming a major cause of concern for the Public Works Department. The PWD has released Rs 1,244 crore so far. The project was conceptualised in 2004 and got the nod from the Delhi cabinet in 2007. The first deadline was fixed ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games but it was revised to 2013. The 675m long and 35.2m wide bridge will be the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in the country, which will connect Wazirabad across the river Yamuna. (IANS)