Sigandur Bridge

Sigandur Bridge — officially the Ambaragodlu-Kalasavalli Bridge — is a 2.44 km cable-stayed bridge across the Sharavati river backwaters in Karnataka's Sagara taluk, opened in January 2024. The bridge eliminates a 90-minute ferry crossing for the ~3,000 daily pilgrims to the Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple, a Shakti shrine on the far side of the backwater.

The Sharavati backwaters were created by the 1964 Linganamakki Dam, which submerged 75 villages and forced the temple's relocation. For sixty years, the only access to the resettled temple was a state-run ferry that was suspended during monsoon and high-water periods — leaving the temple effectively cut off four months of the year.

The bridge is funded by Karnataka PWD with support from MoRTH at ₹472 crore. Dilip Buildcon executed the construction between 2018 and 2024. The cable-stayed design was chosen over a beam-and-girder alternative because the deep submerged terrain (60+ m water depth in places) made a piered design uneconomic for the central span. Two H-shaped concrete pylons rise 84 m above water level.

The bridge also provides direct road access for the Sharavati Wildlife Sanctuary tourists and shortens the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route by 85 km via this corridor.