Take over Signature Bridge: Delhi Tourism dept writes to PWD

It has been five years since the bridge was constructed, the official said, adding that DTTDC had written to the PWD twice last year and again in January this year.

“Handing over a bridge to the PWD is a routine process because the department looks after maintenance and upkeep of roads that come under it,” the official said.

“Currently, the flyover is not in a poor condition, it is not filled with potholes or broken surfaces. But it needs daily maintenance like cleanliness and plantation. If any pothole develops on the stretch or any minor upgradation is needed… such things comes under daily maintenance… The Tourism Department does not have a budget for this stretch separately… So, it has requested the PWD to either take over or allocate budget for its maintenance,” the official added.

Meanwhile, a senior PWD official said the department is discussing the proposal.

After the BJP came to power in Delhi in the recently-concluded Assembly elections, the PWD has come up with a 100-day plan.

“Handing/taking over of Signature Bridge from DTTDC” finds a mention in the plan.

Built at a cost of Rs 1518.37 crore, the Signature Bridge, called an engineer marvel, is also the country’s first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge. The cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge spans the Yamuna River at Wazirabad section.

The stretch connects the Outer Ring Road with Northeast Delhi’s Karawal Nagar and Bhajanpura and provides a direct connectivity to commuters travelling between Loni, Rajinder Nagar, Ghaziabad, Northeast and central parts of the Capital, such as ITO.