We commenced the transportation of this lift span on March 10th, and thus far, we have managed to shift the 550-tonne lift span 80 metres towards the centre of the bridge. The primary challenge lies in the 2.65-degree curved alignment of the bridge. If it were straight, progress would have been swifter, explained a senior RVNL official, noting that the curved configuration was necessitated by various alignment adjustments.

The RVNL aims to conclude the movement of the lift span to its ultimate fixing position by the end of May, requiring an additional 370 metres of transportation.

Once we surpass the curved section, we can accelerate its movement. We've exercised great caution while maneuvering it in the sea due to its size and weight, necessitating precise execution at every stage, the official remarked.

With a deadline set for June 30 to operationalise the bridge, RVNL officials affirm their utmost efforts to meet the target.

Once the lift span is affixed, the remaining tasks are manageable, expressed another RVNL official.

Furthermore, he elaborated, This lift span can be automatically raised to a height of up to 17 meters to allow passage for ships. The ascending and descending process takes approximately 5 minutes each and will be scheduled to minimize disruptions to train services.

The RVNL commissioned the design of this lift span from the Spanish firm TYPSA, with manufacturing undertaken at Sattirakkudi Railway Station, located 20 kilometres from the coastline.

We transported it in various segments and assembled it here at the coast because transporting such a massive structure from the manufacturing site was impractical, clarified the RVNL official.