The Sigandur bridge, India’s second longest cable-stayed bridge, was inaugurated by the central government on July 14, 2025, in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district. It is also known as the Ambaragodlu-Kalasavalli or Sharavathi bridge, as it spans the Sharavathi backwaters between Ambaragodlu and Kalasavalli in Sagara taluk on National Highway 369E.
Project background
The foundation stone for the Sigandur bridge project was laid in 2018. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) sanctioned the project in March 2019, and construction began in December of the same year. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 4.5 billion. Of this, around Rs 3.78 billion, over 80 per cent, was spent on construction alone.
The project was executed by Dilip Buildcon Limited under the engineering, procurement and construction mode. Usha Martin Limited played a significant role as the cable technology provider. Moreover, the project’s overall execution involved extensive collaboration between MoRTH officials, structural engineers, technical experts and regional contractors to ensure timely and safe completion. This partnership incorporated modern best practices in project management, material procurement and engineering oversight, delivering a crucial public asset within a high-profile, government-monitored framework.
Overcoming the long-standing need for local connectivity
The Sigandur bridge holds great significance for the local region as its conceptualisation was marked by political controversy. The construction of this bridge project was initially boycotted by Karnataka’s chief minister and other state ministers due to disagreements over the formal invitation and protocol. Despite this, the bridge’s completion and operationalisation stand as a significant achievement for public infrastructure, symbolising progress and modernity for the locals who depend on this vital river crossing.
For decades, direct road connectivity between Sagar and the villages around Sigandur was lost due to the construction of the Linganmakki dam in the 1960s. This forced residents and visitors, including pilgrims bound for the renowned Chowdeshwari temple in Sigandur, to depend on coracles or government-provided ferries, an arrangement that proved dangerous, as highlighted by a tragic coracle accident that claimed 21 lives. In addition, in recent years, the demand for a bridge grew louder as the number of people visiting the Chowdeshwari temple constantly increased. Parallel to this, this arrangement was long deemed insufficient to handle traffic on the now-upgraded major district road. The proposal for restoring connectivity at Sigandur had been under discussion since the 1960s, but a formal initiation only came recently.
The completion of this bridge re-establishes seamless road access, saves time and substantially improves mobility and safety for locals and travellers alike. Previously, commuters had to travel about 80 km by road to reach Sagar town from Sigandur or Tumari. The bridge would reduce the distance by half. The new bridge also brings the travel time down from roughly two and a half hours to a mere 30 minutes for trips such as Sagar to Sigandur. Also, the distance between Kollur in Udupi district and Sagar would drastically reduce. Beyond convenience, this infrastructure upgrade is expected to boost tourism, commerce, accessibility and overall economic activity throughout the Malnad region and the Western Ghats.
Key project features and milestones
The Sigandur bridge has a main cable-stayed portion of 2.44 km, with reports that the total bridge length (including approaches) could be around 6 km. The bridge deck is 16 meters wide and was designed as an extra-dosed cable-stayed-cum-balanced cantilever bridge, making it only the eighth of its type in India, along with being the second longest cable-stayed bridge in the country. The deck includes an 11 metres carriageway and 1.5 metre-wide footpaths on either side. The approach roads to it extend 1 km on the Sagar side and 3 km towards Sigandur. Delving deeper into the technical aspects of the project, the bridge has 604 box girder segments (each 12 feet wide) showcasing precise assembly and efficient engineering, 164 piles of 1.8 metre diameter anchoring into the riverbed, spherical bearings allowing controlled deck movements for increased durability, 96 cables on four pylon, and spherical bearings, all contributing to making the bridge an engineering feat of its kind. This modular approach helped in economical construction and ensured high quality and precision.
About 740 metres of the bridge span is supported by high-tensile steel cables designed to withstand extreme tension and wind forces, providing strength and stability while allowing a lightweight bridge deck. A key technical highlight is the use of 96 polymer-coated, low-relaxation prestressed concrete strands. These polymer coatings protect the steel cables from moisture, saline exposure and corrosion. Such innovation ensures that the bridge will require minimal maintenance and remain resilient for decades, even under the region’s challenging natural conditions. The application of these strands, supplied by Usha Martin Limited, ensures both durability and reduced maintenance for many years.
The bridge uses deep pile foundations to securely anchor it into the riverbed, ensuring stability in water. Additionally, spherical bearings are used to allow controlled movements of the bridge deck caused by temperature changes and load variations without causing damage.
The Sigandur bridge leverages advanced engineering techniques, making it one of the most sophisticated cable-stayed bridges in India. It is specifically designed as an “extradosed” cable-stayed bridge with balanced cantilever construction. This type of structure merges the characteristics of both cable-stayed and girder bridges, offering improved load distribution and the ability to span long distances with fewer supports, reducing the environmental footprint in the ecologically sensitive Sharavathi backwaters.
In line with the ongoing trends, the bridge’s construction materials and methods comply with the latest standards for infrastructure sustainability, resilience and safety, making it a benchmark project for similar future constructions in challenging geographies.
Prior to its official launch, the state’s new bridge also successfully cleared a crucial load test on June 25, 2025. For the same, initially, a 25 tonne load was placed on the bridge. Later, it was increased to 50 tonnes, then 75 tonnes and finally 100 tonnes. The load test indicated a deflection of 22 mm, well within the permissible limit of 38 mm. With this, the bridge can sustain the load for up to 100 years. The tippers used for the test, which were filled with m-sand, were parked and not driven during the assessment. This was done to accurately measure the bridge’s load-bearing capacity.
A leap forward
In addition to its primary technical and social benefits, the Sigandur bridge is part of a larger infrastructure initiative in the region. Alongside the bridge’s inauguration, the centre also launched nine other national highway projects in the area. These combined projects span a total length of 99 km and have a cumulative value exceeding Rs 20 billion. This coordinated development is expected to bring comprehensive improvements to transportation infrastructure in Karnataka’s Malnad region and the Western Ghats, supporting both local mobility and the broader economic landscape. Overall, the Sigandur bridge stands out both as a vital technological and social advancement in the region, bringing both practical benefits and renewed vitality to an area that long awaited such progress and development. The completion of the new bridge has helped give a push to multiple aspects of the region, benefiting both locals and tourists alike.
Himanshu Tagore
