The busy and chaotic Edappally, Aluva and Vyttila junctions on National Highway 47 will be transformed in two years’ time to ensure smooth movement of motorists and pedestrians.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) Managing Director Elias George said here on Friday that the KMRL was all set to ‘rock the town’ by transforming these junctions, a few other junctions and footpaths located in the vicinity of metro stations. “The greater Kochi area is in for a major leap in integrating different modes of public transport, with Rs.9,000 crore of the total Rs.11,000 crore funds expected for Kochi Metro, Metro Aqua and Smart City projects earmarked for mobility.”
He made these observations after a two-day visit of a high-level delegation of French development agency AFD.
Later, speaking to The Hindu , he said the metro agency would transform the street architecture and mobility structure of Kochi in two years, using a combination of metro, modern ferries and the Smart City plan.
On work to develop the Edappally Junction, he said it would be tendered shortly. The junction would see traffic lights being put to intelligent use to streamline vehicle flow and safe movement of pedestrians, an idea borrowed from Europe. Landscaping too would be done. Aluva, the gateway to the metro, and Vyttila would be developed likewise, Mr. George said.
A Rs.100-crore AFD loan for city improvement projects will be approved later this year and an agreement inked with the KMRL in early 2017.
Kakkanad extension
The AFD officially announced its commitment to provide funds to the tune of Rs.740 crore as loan for metro’s Kakkanad extension and other city improvement initiatives proposed by the KMRL.
Mr. George added that the land-acquisition process for metro’s Kakkanad extension was all set to begin, since the revised alignment had more or less been fixed.
Central sanction was awaited. The pre-Public Investment Board meeting would be held in August, followed by the PIB meet and lastly the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs would take a call on the 11-km extension.
UMTA
On the delay in constituting the Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority (UMTA-Kochi), Mr. George said the previous Cabinet had approved it and sent it to the Governor. A few provisions had now been tweaked and the present Cabinet would take a call shortly.
Metro by April
Nicolas Fornage, the director of AFD Regional Office, New Delhi, said the metro’s first phase, for which the agency has promised Rs.1,500 crore loan, would in all probability be opened in April.
