Alappuzha: The Makkekadavu–Nerekadavu bridge across Vembanad Lake, which bridges the gap between Alappuzha and Kottayam districts, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister V D Satheesan at 9 am on Sunday at Makkekadavu.

Minister for Public Works P.K. Basheer will preside over the ceremony. Ministers Ramesh Chennithala, Mons Joseph, and M. Liju; Deputy Speaker Shanimol Usman; Members of Parliament K.C. Venugopal and Francis George; MLAs K. Binimon and Nattakom Suresh; District Panchayat Presidents A. Mahendran and Joshi Philip; District Collectors Shaji V. Nair and Chetan Kumar Meena; former MP A.M. Ariff; former MLA Daleema Jojo; and Alappuzha DCC President B. Babu Prasad will attend as chief guests.

This is the second bridge constructed under the Thuravoor–Pamba corridor project; the first, the Thycattusserry–Thuravoor bridge, was completed in 2015.

The foundation stone for the Makkekadavu–Nerekadavu bridge was laid in January 2017. While construction began soon after, the project was stalled for years amid land acquisition disputes and ensuing court battles. Work finally resumed in March 2024 after these legal hurdles were cleared. Built using state funds amounting to ₹98.09 crore, the 800-metre-long, 11-metre-wide bridge includes pedestrian walkways on both sides.

The bridge anchors Makkekadavu in Alappuzha’s Thycattusserry panchayat on its western bank to Nerekadavu in Kottayam’s Udayanapuram panchayat on the east. Until now, motorists and heavy vehicles travelling between the two shores had to make an extensive detour via the Thanneermukkom Bund to cross the backwaters.