An underpass linking SA Road and Vyttila-Thripunithura road will be constructed soon after the flyover attains shape over NH bypass at Vyttila junction.
An underpass is an absolute necessity for a smooth flow of traffic in the east-west direction, as the proposed flyover will come up in the north-south direction. The busy junction also needs a pedestrian subway or a foot overbridge for pedestrians’ safety, said a senior Public Works Department (PWD) official.
Work on the six-lane flyover, costing ₹86 crore, will commence at the junction in November, and the structure will be ready by May 2019. An agreement will be inked with the Thiruvananthapuram-based Sreedhanya Construction Company for the execution of the project in 18 months. The flyover can be widened to an eight lane facility at a later stage, for which land will have to be acquired, the official added.
A high-level meeting of stakeholders, including the police, Motor Vehicles Department, traders, and members of the public will be called ahead of the commencement of work. The meeting will deliberate steps to be taken to ensure that traffic regulations are foolproof at the junction. The flyover work site too will have to be managed professionally, so that minimal disturbance is caused to road users. Shifting of pipelines and cables too is a daunting task. Interestingly, the Kochi metro viaduct will be constructed over the flyover.
The PWD is also formulating plans for the construction of a wider underpass beneath the Vyttila railway bridge, to extend Subhash Bose Road eastward of Ponnurunni overbridge. This is because motorists wanting to avoid traffic snarls at Vyttila junction are forced to jostle for space in the narrow underpass. There is also a plan to widen bellmouths of the junction, sources said.
During the construction of the flyover and the metro viaduct, light vehicles will be diverted through Thammanam-Pullepady road which was recently tar coated by the Kochi Corporation.
It has not been handed over to the PWD for widening, though the corporation had passed a resolution two years ago. Yet another road that links the NH bypass with the city is Chilavannoor bund road located south of Vyttila. Though light vehicles can use it, the corridor is yet to be fully developed by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA).
Kundannoor flyover
On its part, the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) is expected to begin construction of a flyover at Kundannoor junction in January next year. The ₹80-crore project is targeted to be completed by June 2019. The agency has floated tenders for the purpose.
Once the underpass construction at Vyttila is over, the PWD might have to consider building a similar facility linking the NH bypass with NH 17 at Edappally to enable smooth traffic flow in the north-south direction, sources said.
Metroman E. Sreedharan had cited the need for an underpass at the busy junction where three highways meet.
