Gadkari To Inaugurate Karnataka’s Longest Cable-Stayed Bridge Across Sharavathi Backwaters

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the much-awaited bridge spanning the Sharavathi backwaters between Ambargodlu and Kalasavalli on National Highway 369E on Monday (14 July).

Reported by The New Indian Express, the striking cable-stayed structure, measuring 2.44 km in length, holds the distinction of being Karnataka’s longest bridge of its kind and the second-longest cable-stayed bridge in India.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 472 crore, the bridge promises to transform connectivity for numerous villages in the Sagar and Hosanagara taluks and improve access to revered temples such as Sigandur Chowdeshwari and Kollur Mookambike.

The Sharavathi reservoir, formed in the 1960s, had long disrupted travel in the region, leaving locals reliant on a barge service restricted to daylight hours.

The new bridge effectively addresses this decades-old challenge, easing movement along what has been upgraded from a Major District Road (MDR) to a national highway corridor.

Approved by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in March 2019, the project commenced in December that year and was executed by Dilip Buildcon Ltd, based in Madhya Pradesh.

Notably, it marks the eighth extra-dosed cable-stayed cum balanced cantilever bridge sanctioned by MoRTH across the country.

Featuring a 16-metre-wide deck with an 11 m carriageway and 1.5 m footpaths on each side, the bridge’s design incorporates 604 box girder segments, 164 piles of 1.8 m diameter, and 96 cables anchored on four pylons. Approach roads stretch 1 km towards Sagar and 3 km in the direction of Sigandur.

MoRTH undertook the project following persistent advocacy from local residents, activists, and leaders including former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, MP BY Raghavendra, and former minister Kagodu Thimmappa. The new bridge is expected to cut travel time significantly while boosting regional tourism and economic activity.

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