Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the Sigandur Bridge, India’s second-longest cable-stayed structure, spanning 2.44 km across the Sharavathi backwaters in Sagar taluk, Shivamogga district, on Monday. Built at a cost of Rs 473 crore, the bridge connects Ambaragodlu and Kalasavalli, slashing travel time to Sigandur’s revered Chowdeshwari Temple and nearby villages by nearly two hours, replacing a decades-old barge system disrupted since the 1960s Linganmakki reservoir construction.

The event, attended by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, and Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra, saw no state cabinet members present, highlighting tensions with the Congress-led Karnataka government. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had urged Gadkari to postpone the inauguration, citing a prior commitment in Vijayapura and lack of prior consultation by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara and Sagar MLA Belur Gopalakrishna also expressed concerns over not receiving official invitations, with the latter attending despite the oversight.

The bridge, featuring a 16-meter-wide deck with a 740-meter cable-stayed section, 96 cables, and 164 piles, is set to boost tourism and economic activity along National Highway 369E. A naming controversy persists, with BJP proposing “Siganduru Chowdeshwari” and others advocating for Yediyurappa’s name, a matter now under court review. Gadkari also announced Rs 2,041 crore for nine highway projects across Karnataka, including safety upgrades on the Bengaluru-Mysuru section.

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