Delhi CM, Dy CM inaugurate Signature Bridge
NEW DELHI: The much-anticipated Signature Bridge built over the Yamuna was inaugurated on Sunday by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
The bridge is expected to reduce the travel time between north-eastern and northern parts of Delhi. The Signature Bridge will be opened for public on Monday.
This bridge is the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India. The bridge also includes a 154-meter-high glass-steel observation deck at the top, although it will not be available for public use for at least another three months.
The deck offers a panoramic bird's eye-view of the city to the visitors. There will be four elevators with a total capacity of carrying 50 people which will be built to take the visitors to the top of the bridge. The elevators are likely to be operational in two months. It will also have designated selfie spots.
Announced in 2004, the bridge has missed several deadlines since 2011. The proposal for the bridge was mooted in 2004 but it received approval of the Delhi Cabinet in 2007.
It was initially expected to be completed at a modified cost of Rs 1,131 crore for the Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi in October 2010.
In 2015, the cost of the project rose to Rs 1,594 crore. Reportedly, the bridge was proposed for the first time as early as in 1997 at an initial cost of Rs 464 crore.
The bridge will share the burden of vehicular traffic currently borne by the Wazirabad bridge.
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia had invited all the citizens of Delhi to be part of the inauguration. "The whole of Delhi is welcome. It's a matter of pride for the city," he tweeted.
The deputy chief minister also alleged on Twitter that the BJP tried to create hurdles for the project, appointed incompetent officers, threatened those who are honest, and how it was a challenge for the AAP government to make this dream a reality.
Meanwhile, high drama prevailed at the bridge with Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari and scores of supporters staging a protest for allegedly not being invited to the inaugural event of the newly-built city landmark. Tiwari and his supporters reached the venue of the inaugural function. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy were not present when the protest took place.
