Commuters will have to put up with agonising traffic snarls at Edappally and Palarivattom till August, as work on flyovers at the two junctions has been put on hold because of rainy weather.
The two structures on the Edappally-Kundanoor NH 47 bypass were to have been commissioned on June 30.
Sources in the DMRC said tarring work had been suspended on the four-lane Edappally flyover. “We expect to complete the work in August when rain takes a break. The monsoon set in when we had completed the base tarring on the flyover on the northern [Lulu Mall] side. We cannot take risk by taking up tarring work during short spans when rain takes a break, as it will lead to formation of potholes,” they added.
Lights
Installation of lights over the structures and painting work are also pending.
For the record, the delay in the commissioning of the flyover had worsened the serpentine traffic hold-ups on all four sides of the junction after the opening of educational institutions in the first week of June.
Similar is the situation at Palarivattom. Officials of the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) said the flyover could be opened to traffic only in the second half of July, provided there is a lull in rain for at least four days.
“The work on crash barrier is under way, while the ramp on the flyover on the Edappally side has to be filled. The installation of street lights too is pending,” they said.
Vyttila, Kundannoor projects
Meanwhile, uncertainty clouds the fate of the proposed flyovers at Vyttila and Kundanoor.
Incidentally, then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had laid the foundation stones for the two projects in February. A high-ranking PWD official said the department had already replied to queries raised in March by the Chief Technical Examiner (CTE) of the Finance Department.
“The CTE has not communicated with us after that. The PWD planned to use funds that were granted to us by the government from fuel cess. Even this is uncertain owing to lack of clarity on the plight of the flyovers. We can invite tenders for the projects only after the CTE’s nod,” he said.
Vacant posts
On its part, the PWD now has only two Superintending Engineers while the requirement is 22. The Ernakulam SE is authorised to invite tenders for the flyovers. But, the post is lying vacant.
