With piling for the six-lane Vyttila flyover set to commence on November 25, the traffic police and other stakeholders are expected to submit a report on traffic regulation to District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla on Wednesday.
As per the estimated plan, heavy vehicles coming from the Alappuzha side will be diverted from Aroor through Thopumpady. Those from Thrissur will be diverted from HMT Junction through the Seaport-Airport Road.
The police held a meeting on Tuesday to fine-tune plans to divert and regulate traffic. Officials of the NHAI, which owns the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass, too are expected to chip in with help, since vehicles will have to be diverted through the underpass of the Vyttila bridge. The narrow underpass has been a cause for concern, since it can hardly accommodate two cars, leaving little space for pedestrians.
Heavy vehicles can use the stretch only if an alternative, wider underpass is developed nearer to the railway lines beneath the bridge. The Subhash Bose Road too will have to be extended eastward from beneath the Ponnurunni bridge.
On Tuesday night, Mr. Safirullah inspected the Vyttila junction to have a first hand account of the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. Prior to this, he convened a meeting of the PWD, KMRL and DMRC officials.
The PWD will sign an agreement to build the ₹86-crore Vyttila flyover with the Thiruvananthapuram-based Sreedhanya Constructions on November 18. The project will be commissioned in 18 months.
The 700-metre-long flyover that will begin from near the railway overbridge on the northern side of the junction will end in front of the Siva Subramania Temple on the southern side, said an official press release.
The 27.20-metre-wide bridge’s viaduct (the portion excluding the approach spans) will be 440 metres long. While the flyover will be in the north-south direction over the NH Bypass, the Kochi metro viaduct will cross over it six metres above in the east-west direction, linking SA Road and the Vyttila Mobility Hub.
An underpass linking SA Road and the Vyttila-Thripunithura road will be constructed soon after the flyover attains shape over the NH bypass at the Vyttila junction.
An underpass is an absolute necessity for the smooth flow of traffic in the east-west direction. The busy junction also needs a pedestrian subway or a foot overbridge for pedestrians’ safety, said a senior Public Works Department official.
The RBDCK will, in the meantime, begin work on the ₹80-crore flyover at Kundanoor in December end.
