Till now there isn’t a shape to the two key flyover projects for the city. Reason: the State government hasn’t yet sanctioned a tender floated by PWD for preparing their designs.
This isn’t in step with Public Works Minister V.K. Ibrahim Kunju’s announcement in June the Chief Minister will lay the foundation stone for Vyttila and Kundanoor flyovers in August, to get them up in another 18 months’ time.
At the foundation stone laying for Palarivattom flyover Oommen Chandy spoke of how priority schemes have been listed out and timetables fixed for each as per State Government’s ‘Mission 676’ programme. Mr. Chandy had further assured that he would review progress of each scheme every 100 days.
A Government Order for constructing a Rs 109-crore six-lane flyover at Vyttilla and a Rs 80.20-crore four-lane flyover at Kundanoor - two of the most congested junctions on the Bypass - was issued early this year. Their detailed design was scheduled to be ready by July.
A senior PWD official blamed Finance Department for sitting over the design tender for which three firms responded. “The department cannot cite funds paucity as a reason for not sanctioning the tender since bridges and roads are being built in remote parts of Kottayam and Idukki districts where not even 1,000 vehicles use them daily. This is in stark contrast with Vyttilla and Kundanoor junctions which are used daily by well over 70,000 passenger car units (PCUs). Political convenience is over-shadowing crucial development projects like flyovers which are already long overdue.”
Palarivattom flyover Palarivattom and Edappally flyover works have begun and are expected to be ready by December 2015. The Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala has completed piling work on the northern side of Palarivattom junction for the flyover proposed here. “Work on southern side will commence in another two days,” said an engineer associated with the project.
Aimed at streamlining vehicle flow when the southern side is barricaded, the agency has raised the service road to the level of NH Bypass, which will be covered using concrete paver blocks. “The junction has to be widened since up to 20 metres at the centre will be barricaded when flyover works gain pace,” he said.
Edappally flyover The DMRC is building a pair of two-lane bridges over Edappally Canal for diverting traffic when the centre of Edappally Junction is barricaded for flyover work there. “The bridge near Lulu Mall will be ready by mid-October while that on the opposite side and flyover’s service roads will be ready by December. The flyover will be ready in another year,” sources in the agency said.
