Forty seven per cent of vehicles that cross Vyttila Junction ply along the NH Bypass over which a six-lane flyover is expected to be built by May 2019, a high-ranking PWD (NH wing) official said.
The remaining 53% vehicles operate in the east-west direction and take deviations from the junction. A study will shortly be commissioned to probe the feasibility of constructing an underpass linking SA Road and Vyttila-Thripunithura Road, which has been envisaged in the second phase of development work at the junction.
While the proposed flyover does not need land acquisition, minimal land acquisition is unavoidable for constructing an underpass perpendicular to the flyover. “We decided against having ‘arms’ for the flyover [to SA Road, Thripunithura, and Vyttila Mobility Hub] since it would involve land acquisition, possibly delaying the project. But minor alterations are possible, based on practicable suggestions from experts and various organisations,” the official said.
Inadequate open space in front of a few buildings located at the junction’s bellmouth is an issue. But vendors and shops that have encroached upon ‘puramboke’ (government) land will be removed and unscientifically-built medians removed, prior to the commencement of piling for the flyover project. Illegal stands of autorickshaws and goods carriers too will be removed. The help of agencies like Thiruvananthapuram-based NATPAC will be sought to enable smooth movement of vehicles and to ensure optimal use of space at the junction.
Responding to the statement of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which owns the NH Bypass, that the PWD must build a wider underpass beneath the Vyttila railway overbridge, the official said it could be looked into. But the proposal cannot be packaged with the flyover work as the contract has already been inked, he added. A wider underpass will enable extension of Subhash Bose Road towards the service road on the eastern side of the NH Bypass.
