The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) is exploring the possibility of developing the Signature Bridge as an important tourist destination.
If all goes according to plan, visitors will be allowed to go to the top of the “iconic” bow-shaped pylon, which is twice the height of the Qutub Minar, for a bird’s eye view of the city, just like at the Eiffel Tower or the London Eye.
The initiative is part of directions issued by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to the DTTDC after an inspection of the under-construction bridge last week. The DTTDC is responsible for the construction of the 675 meter-long bridge — the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India.
According to officials, Sisodia asked them to ascertain whether visitors can go to the top of the pylon for a panoramic view of the city.
“The minister asked us to explore if we can boost tourism around the Signature Bridge. He directed us to work on an arrangement which allows people to reach the top of the pylon, which is double the height of the Qutub Minar, and have a mesmerising view of the city,” a DTTDC official said.
The official added that the Corporation was planning to set up a glass box at a height of 154 meters at the top of the pylon from where tourists will be able to see the city as well as the Yamuna.
The project was conceptualised in 2004. The Delhi Cabinet’s nod came through in 2007. Being built on the lines of the London Bridge, it was scheduled to be completed before the 2010 Commonwealth Games but it missed the deadline. The latest deadline for the project is October 31, 2018.
Once completed, the Signature Bridge will share traffic load currently being borne by the ailing Wazirabad Bridge, which is over 100-years-old, used to commute between Delhi and Ghaziabad. The upcoming bridge is expected to reduce travel time by at least 30 minutes for commuters enroute Ghaziabad via Khajuri Khas, Yamuna Vihar from Wazirabad, Timarpur, Mukherjee Nagar and Burari.
Sisodia had also asked officials to provide space for parking near the bridge and check the feasibility of restaurants and parks in the area so that visitors can come here for recreational activities as well.
The official said that the development of tourism and businesses around the bridge was part of the second phase of the project. “It is already there in our plan. We will start working on these lines once the construction work is complete and opened to the public,” the official said.
He added that construction activities were running on an “adequate pace” so as to finish work within the deadline. The Delhi Cabinet had, in July, cleared a revised of cost Rs 1,518.37 crore from the previous cost of Rs 1,131 crore for the project.
He said that around 95% of the bridge’s construction work had been completed and only cable-related work was left. The 35.2 metre-wide bridge will have a steel pylon at a height of 154 metres, to be supported by cables.
First Published: Aug 21, 2018 11:08 IST
