In one week’s time, visitors to Vypeen's Kuzhuppilly beach will be able to use the first floating bridge in the Ernakulam region. At a cost of ₹1.20 crore, the three-meter-wide, T-shaped structure will extend 100 meters into the water and be accessible to guests from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The plan to prepare floating bridges in each of the nine districts with a coastline is part of Kerala Tourism.
It will stimulate beach-based adventure tourism, according to sources at the implementing organisation, the Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). The other five floating bridges in Kerala are located at Beypore, Muzhappilangad, Bekal, Tanur, and Chavakkad. This one will be the sixth. At the beaches of Kovalam, Thangassery, and Alappuzha, floating bridges will soon be prepared.
According to Binu Kuriakose, CEO of Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society, only 50 people will be allowed admission at a time due to safety concerns with the construction. "They can grasp the railings that are located on both sides." tourists will get life jackets from certified lifeguards who have completed the watersports operator training. The lifeguards will also enforce rules and make sure the tourists are safe. Extreme weather conditions would prevent people from accessing the floating structure, which is accessible during low and high tide, he said.
When an adult or kid needs help, the lifeguards will guide them. He mentioned that preparations were in place to have the construction ready by October 20.
Approximately 1,000 ISO-certified high-density polyethylene bricks will be used in the bridge's construction. The ferocity of the waves lashing the coast will determine their rise and fall. It has been learned that a company located in Mumbai would prepare the structure under a build-operate-transfer agreement and maintain it for two years.
The initiative is a component of Kerala tourist's beach-based adventure tourist offerings, which the state government of Kerala determined to be insufficient. While the idea to host watersports from the Kochi International Marina on Bolghatty Island is still in the early stages of development, the activities are already well-liked in locations like Munambam Beach.
