Vijayawada will soon see the novel idea of vertical gardens on bridges being implemented on a larger scale, covering two or more bridges in the next few months.
Executive Engineer (Parks), Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, A.S.N. Prasad on Tuesday said vertical gardens not only add to the aesthetics of the city but also improve its air quality. One can see such gardens on 42 of the 120 pillars of the flyover near Benz Circle and on 17 pillars of the flyover near One Town. The remaining pillars, too, would be given the gardens using funds from the 15th Financial Commission.
Garden on bridges
On August 15, Nethaji Bridge became the first bridge in the city to get the vertical gardens. “We have chosen plants that require less shade and water. Watering is done once a day through drip system. The plants have to be replaced every three months. We have assigned the project and its maintenance to contractors,” Mr. Prasad said.
The cost of arranging such as garden on one square foot is ₹850 and the corporation has spent ₹18 lakh on the Nethaji Bridge project. It has set aside an equal amount for a similar garden on Screw Bridge. The project will be completed in two months, he said.
Corporation Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said that though vertical gardens are not new to the city, having them on the bridges is a novel idea. The city has over 30 bridges over its three main canals. “We plan to beautify a few important bridges soon. We are also exploring the idea of creepers along the bridges,” Mr. Swapnil said.
