Nellore motorists face a tough time every monsoon when water floods the Nellore Cheruvu spillway at Pottepalem. This problem will soon end. The Andhra Pradesh Government approved ₹4.85 crore to build a bridge here. The foundation stone will be laid on January 5, 2026. The bridge is expected to be ready by August 2026. Lack of a bridge has troubled residents and commuters from Nellore Rural, Sarvepalli, Atmakur, Kovur, and Udayagiri constituencies for decades. Visitors to Jonnawada temple have often complained about the risky rides during heavy rains. After becoming Nellore Rural MLA in 2019 as a YSR Congress member, Sridhar Reddy tried to stage a protest called ‘Jala Deeksha’ to demand the bridge. However, he was put under house arrest to stop the protest. Later, switching to the Telugu Desam Party ahead of the 2024 elections, Mr. Sridhar Reddy used his political contacts. He convinced Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to approve the project by highlighting the difficulties faced by commuters in monsoon. “In spite of the former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy affixing signature on the file several times, the bridge on Pottepalem spillway remained on paper. In contrast, the present Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu gave the nod and accorded sanction of R&B funds in no time,” said Mr. Sridhar Reddy. This road connects Nellore to the Rayalaseema region and serves as a shortcut to Buchireddypalem, linking to National Highway-67 (NH). After completing this bridge, Mr. Sridhar Reddy plans to build another on Mulumudi canal in his constituency.