Contractor expects to complete Zuari bridge tower project in 2028
Contractor Dilip Buildcon said it will complete the construction of two towers atop the new Zuari bridge by 2028. The foundation stone for the project of the two Rs 270-crore towers was laid last month.
The ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) granted the contractor five years to complete the project.
Dilip Buildcon vice-president (constructions) Atul Joshi said that as per the finalised design, each of the two towers will have three floors on top. He said that each tower will be 125m in height and each will have four high-speed elevators to take visitors to its top.
'We have began mobilising the machinery for the construction of the towers.
Meanwhile, the environmental impact assessment study is on. We expect to begin construction work after the 2025 monsoon. Though we have five years to complete the project, we are targeting 2028 for its completion. Of the three storeys on each tower, one floor, the middle one, will be semi-open, as per the design,' said Joshi.
He said that it will be decided at a later stage what activities can be offered on the three floors of the towers.
'There are a number of possibilities like a restaurant, viewing deck and observatory. But the plans will keep evolving over three years on how best to utilise the space. The capacity will depend on the type of activity offered, but on average, each tower will be able to have 500 visitors at a time,' said Joshi.
The Zuari bridge observatory project is being built on the DBFOT or Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer model.
As per this model, the contractor will fund the entire project and recover the cost by charging visitors to the tower a fee. The concessionaire will operate the towers for a 50-year period.
The contractor wants to complete the project as soon as possible, as it will make the towers operational and begin recovering the investment. The tower has been planned as a tourist attraction. The design also includes a 7.5m-wide walkway bridge on both marine sides for pedestrian access, along with parking facilities at both ends to accommodate visitors.
A walkway will take tourists from the parking to the base of the towers. The contractor has also been provided additional land at Verna to set up other commercial activities to recover the cost of the project initially, while it takes some time for the footfall to the towers to pick up.
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