Completing four long-pending road projects in the city hub in a timely manner would be crucial to unwinding traffic snarls that are stifling Kochi.
The first major project is the 17-km Vallarpadam-Kalamassery road (christened the NH 47C), primarily aimed at ensuring hassle-free transportation of containers from the proposed transshipment terminal to Kalamassery and from there to other areas, without affecting traffic movement in the city. Though the project's deadline expired, the National Highways Authority of India has said that work on two lanes of the proposed four-lane road would be completed by July end.
Vehicles accessing the road from the Goshree Islands and from the High Court side would be able to considerably save on time, distance and fuel if they take the road to reach Kalamassery and back.
The much-awaited development of the Padma Junction-Pullepady -Thammanam-Chakkaraparambu (on NH bypass) Road as a 22-metre stretch got an impetus with the Pullepady overbridge being commissioned a week ago.
Even after people surrendering two acres of land free of cost, over five acres of land would have to be acquired for the purpose by the Corporation of Kochi.Deputy Mayor C. K. Manisankar said that the District Administration has been asked to acquire the land. “A rehabilitation scheme has been prepared and we are awaiting the State Government's approval for land owners to be given the benefit of special Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) and also the right to transfer the benefit if they construct a building on land elsewhere in the city.”
From Chakkaraparambu, the land for the eastern alignment for the road up to the Airport-Seaport Road had been frozen many years ago. From there, it could join the road proposed to Infopark.
The third crucial road corridor would be the Goshree-Mamangalam Road (this too running parallel to the Banerjee Road), where the Corporation is awaiting the Government's approval for acquiring land.The road would have a width ranging from 22 metres on the eastern side to 24 metres on the western side. Land from Pachalam to Mamangalam had been frozen over a decade ago.
The Greater Cochin Development Authority's (GCDA's) Chilavanoor Bund Road (running parallel to the congested SA Road) would be yet another road that would augment east-west road connectivity in the city.
The agency too has sought the Government's nod to begin land acquisition.
“The first phase would link Thykoodam near Vytilla on NH 47, with the K P Vallon Road.The stretch from the NH to Chilavanoor would be 15 metres wide, with the portion up to Thevara on M G Road is slated to have an average width of 10 metres,” said a senior official of the agency. The State Government's sanction is also awaited for the Atlantis overbridge, which would link Panampilly Nagar with the M G Road, thus decongesting the South overbridge.
