Perumbalam Bridge

Perumbalam in Alappuzha district is the largest island village in Kerala. Before the construction of the bridge, the people of Perumbalam depended on boats and jankar services to connect with mainland areas (Arookutty and Panavally) in the district of Alappuzha. Although the locals have been raising the demand for the bridge for the past five decades, the state government inaugurated the construction of the bridge in 2019. Meanwhile, another construction company, Cherian Varki Construction Company, filed a lawsuit against Uralungal labour society, which had contracted the construction of bridge, and the government. This resulted in the delay of the project. The Kerala High Court finally ruled in favor of Uralungal society and the government, and the construction work was resumed in late 2021.^[3]

The total construction cost for the project is nearly 100 crores. It is being implemented with the funds of KIFBI from the Government of Kerala. The bridge has a length of 1157 m and width of 11 m. The span of the bridge is 11.0 m with 27 spans of 35 m length and 3 bow string arch spans of 55 m length. The carriageway has a width of 7.5 m and the footpaths on both sides have a width of 1.5 m.^[4]

Along with its inauguration, bus services to Perumbalam island from Cherthala depot were also started by KSRTC.^[5]