KOCHI: The newly constructed rail overbridge at Eroor near Thripunithura is all set to be opened to public in the second week of January.
Though no date has been fixed for the opening of the bridge, it is learnt that officials of the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) have informed the government that the bridge will be ready by January 10.
With the opening of the bridge, Thripunithura will become accessible through yet another route from Kakkanad, Palarivattom, and Vennala. It will also contribute to the easing of rush at Vyttila junction.
For North Eroor residents, the road has been the only major link with Thripunithura town. Since the commencement of work in November 2014, people have been taking a circuitous route to reach the town.
According to RBDCK officials, the curing time for the work done is the cause for delay in opening the bridge.
While the bridge will improve connectivity with Thripunithura town, RBDCK officials said the bottleneck at Alinchodu still remained an issue.
They maintained that there would be no traffic issues as vehicles coming from North Eroor would take a U-turn towards right to proceed to Vyttila. He said the road has enough width to maintain the flow.
The 450-metre-long bridge, with a width of 9.5 metres, was estimated to cost ₹28.5 crore. The BPCL Kochi Refinery had made a major contribution of ₹7.5 crore towards its construction and the Railways had spent around ₹4.5 crore.
Kaniyampuzha Road
With the value addition to Eroor Road, the stark contrast comes to Kaniyampuzha Road, which connects the Vyttila Mobility Hub with the new bridge. Unless steps are taken to widen the stretch, which is around 1.5 km long, the connectivity brought in by the bridge will remain “half-done”, according to V.P. Prasad, president of the Thripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents’ Associations.
The Thripunithura Municipality had several times proposed the Kaniyampuzha Road widening project in its budgets but had failed to get any work done.
