I read that the GCDA are thinking of restoring this old bridge as a tourist attraction spot. Currently it is closed to public. Their logic is, if they are allowed to restore and publicize it as a tourist attraction spot, it might even help in generating some revenue!
Yes the GCDA think that the wooden planks in the middle of the bridge have really worn out and in terrible condition, needing immediate repair or replacement. Even the parts that are made of steel are not in such a good state themselves.
I've heard that the project would have taken around Rs 60 crore, and they had even invited tenders for the same. But it looks like they failed to attract any contractors. So the Mattanchery bridge has remained in its unworked stage for quite some time now.
Yeah, its mainly because of the restoration work only, that the GCDA are demanding that the PWD hand over the responsibilities of the Mattanchery bridge to them. The PWD had actually done some work on the approach road a few years ago. But they couldn’t do much work on the bridge as they couldn’t find any interested contractors.
Yeah, the point of argument of the GCDA is that this bridge needs regular maintenance works otherwise the wooden planks in its middle tend to get damaged pretty soon.
From what I’ve learnt, there is currently an ongoing discussion between the GDCA and the PWD. The GCDA wants to have full control of the bridge so that they can do some restoration work on this bridge and invest in developing it further.