New bridge and walkway on Marine Drive

KOCHI: As the part of Marine Drive’s beautification plans, the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) will soon build a new bridge and a walkway on the northern side of the famed city landmark. The new walkway will measure 700 metres in length with a width of 12 mts. The plan also includes the construction of a new restaurant near the proposed bridge. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 7.5 crore.“The work of the bridge, restaurant and refreshment centre along with the walkway is progressing well. We hope that the new facilities will be ready by August this year,” said GCDA chairman N Venugopal. He was talking to reporters during an on-site visit with a team including Hibi Eden MLA, Corporation Health Standing Committee chairman T J Vinodh and GCDA officials on Saturday.The proposed bridge will be in the shape of a Kettuvallam, designed by P S Binoy. The design has been selected from a group of entries submitted at a design competition organised by the Indian Institute of Architects. The walkway will be laid with attractive tiles, ornamental lights along with chairs will give a new look to the walkway. “Along with this, we will float another tender soon to renovate the  walkway near the KINCO jetty,” Venugopal added.A new entry point will be built at the High Court-Goshree bridge near the new Corporation office site. “This will act as another access point to the Marine Drive. We actually want to extend the walkway to the Goshree bridge. But GIDA had already sold their land on the northern tip. However, we will look into the possibilities of further expansion,” the GCDA chairman added.