The Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) is gearing up to begin construction of the Palarivattom flyover from January. The State government gave administrative sanction for the project a week ago.
“The tender will be floated this week and the work awarded by January. Our aim is to commission the flyover within 18 months of commencing work. It may take a little longer, depending on traffic regulations,” a senior official in the agency said.
The total project cost is Rs.72.60 crore, of which Rs.16 crore is for acquiring 55 cents of land. RBDCK plans to adopt pre-cast girder technology for speedy completion of the flyover proposed on the NH Bypass at Palarivattom.
The technology is widely used by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for metro rail projects. Recently, DMRC used this method to build the A.L. Jacob overbridge and the Ernakulam North overbridge. Steel girders were placed over railway lines, obviating the need to erect pillars and scaffoldings.
In pre-cast girder technology, girders and pier caps are made in casting yards and brought to work sites on trailers. They are then placed with the help of cranes. The method helps save time when compared with conventional methods. It also avoids disruption of traffic flow.
RBDCK had drawn much flak for not using pre-cast girders for the Ponnurunni bridge and other overbridges under construction. The Ponnurunni bridge, near Vyttila, is still a work in progress despite repeated extension of the deadline.
The 624-metre-long Palarivattom flyover will have a pair of two-lane flyovers, each having a width of 8.50 metres.
Though NHAI had mooted a six-lane flyover here, the proposal was dropped because of the need for massive land acquisition and fear of motorists having to pay toll.
The flyover will now be built based on a detailed project report prepared by KITCO, the project’s consultants. Officials of KITCO and RBDCK conducted a site inspection on Thursday and are scheduled to meet again on Monday, to probe means to execute the flyover with least inconvenience to road users.
“Based on the outcome, we will decide whether to construct the flyovers simultaneously or one after the other,” sources said. A survey is under way to widen the junction’s bell mouths to at least 21 metres. NHAI’s attempt a few years ago to widen the junction did not yield the desired result, despite the agency spending Rs.27 lakh.
This was because nothing was done to open up service roads that now meet a dead end on the northern and southern sides of the junction. As a result, motorists are unable to make optimal use of the NH bypass’ width.
Our aim would be to ensure uniform width of bell mouths on all sides, an RBDCK official said.
