A ₹6.54 crore bridge across the Pottapalem Kaluju spillway of Nellore Tank has been completed and is scheduled to be inaugurated on Saturday, providing a long-awaited crossing for residents travelling between Nellore and several parts of the district.
The bridge has drawn attention because a local villager who raised the demand during the 2024 Assembly election campaign has been invited to inaugurate it as a special guest. Chalapathi had questioned Sai Vaishnavi, daughter of Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, about whether the long-pending project would ever be completed.
According to the report, Chalapathi told Vaishnavi that villagers had been seeking a bridge at the location for decades. He also asked whether the project would be delivered if her father, who had already served two terms as MLA, was elected again. Vaishnavi assured him that the bridge would be built if Sridhar Reddy returned to office.
After Sridhar Reddy became the MLA, Vaishnavi took up the issue with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh. The report said both leaders assured their support for the project. The government subsequently sanctioned funds, with the MLA stating that the bridge was constructed at a cost of ₹6.54 crore.
The crossing is particularly significant during the monsoon. The route serves as an important link for people travelling between Nellore and other parts of the district, but movement is affected when water flows over the spillway. The completed bridge is intended to provide a dedicated crossing at the location where residents had previously faced disruption during periods of water flow.
The project is also expected to benefit commuters from Nellore Rural and neighbouring Kovur, Atmakur, Sarvepalli and Udayagiri Assembly constituencies. Its utility will depend on how the new crossing integrates with the existing local road network and how it performs during periods of heavy water flow, but the available report does not provide details of the bridge’s length, design, traffic capacity or maintenance arrangements.
Vaishnavi personally met Chalapathi on Friday and invited him to take part in the inauguration. The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, marking the formal opening of the bridge after the completion of construction.
