Chooralmala: A new, disaster-resilient bridge will soon rise at Chooralmala, replacing the structure that was washed away in the devastating Mundakkai–Chooralmala landslides, with construction set to begin in February.

The State Cabinet has accorded approval to the tender for the project, estimated at ₹33.96 crore. The construction has been entrusted to the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS).

Designed to withstand natural disasters, including landslides, the bridge will be built with enhanced safety features, Public Works Department officials said. An agreement with ULCC will be signed next week, following which the site will be formally handed over.

The new bridge will come up parallel to the Bailey bridge erected by the Army across the Punnappuzha river. It will have a total length of 267.95 metres, with 107 metres spanning the river and 80 metres on each bank. Designed as a pillarless bowstring girder bridge, it will begin from the centre of Chooralmala town and end on the opposite bank at the junction where the Mundakkai and Attamala roads meet.

The design, prepared by the Bridges wing of the Public Works Department, envisages the structure to rise above the maximum water level recorded during the landslide.

Meanwhile, work on the Chooralmala–Attamala road has already begun. Plans are also underway to construct two new bridges, one from Punchirimattom to Vanarani and another from the Mundakkai Government LP School to Ettam Number. Administrative sanction has already been granted for these projects, with ₹15 crore allocated for each bridge.