Signature Bridge will be ready by October: Kejriwal

New Delhi, May 29 

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Construction of the much-awaited Signature Bridge on the Yamuna river will be completed by October this year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia inspected the bridge in the morning and witnessed the installation of final pylon at the site.

The chief minister said the residents of Delhi have been eagerly waiting for the opening of the city's iconic Signature Bridge.

The bridge, once completed, will share the burden of vehicular traffic, currently being borne by the Wazirabad bridge, used to commute to and from Delhi and Ghaziabad.

The bridge will connect the Outer Ring Road on the western bank with the Wazirabad Road on the eastern side of the Yamuna river.

"The construction work on the bridge, which started in 2010, was supposed to be completed in 2013, but it was delayed by five years. But, we hope that it (construction work) will be completed by October this year," Kejriwal told reporters here.

He said Delhi government would release the remaining amount of around Rs 100-125 crore either this month or next month for the project.

"Now, there is no 'if and but' left (for non-completion of project)," the chief minister also said.

"A morning filled with pride as the #SignatureBridge rises with the rising sun today. CM @ArvindKejriwal & I witnessed the installation of final pylon at the site, which is at 154m height. Within 4 months the people of Delhi & the tourists will be able to stand where we do (sic)," Sisodia tweeted along with some photos of site inspection.

Announced in 2004, the project received a nod from the Delhi cabinet in 2007 and it was initially expected to be completed at a modified estimate of Rs 1,131 crore before the Commonwealth Games, which were held here in October, 2010.

The bridge had obtained environmental clearance in 2011 and was set to be completed by December 2013.

The date of completing project was pushed to June 2016 and then to July 2017, which was further pushed to December 2017. - PTI