Two lanes of the 205-metre-long four-lane Champakkara bridge located beyond Thykoodam, built using bow-string technology, will be thrown open to vehicular traffic in the coming week.
It will be followed by the demolition of the old two-lane bridge and commencement of work on a new two-lane bridge on the southern side.
“The second bridge will be ready by December 2020,” DMRC officials said.
The metro rail viaduct will hover over the four-lane bridge by October as it does over the Edappally flyover. Metro pillars are ready, while girders will be placed above them shortly.
The total project cost of the 45-metre-long four-lane bridge and the metro viaduct above it works out to approximately ₹60 crore. The bridge and the metro viaduct have the same foundation.
The famed bow-string technology, which was used to build the Marthanda Varma Bridge at Aluva, was adopted to give the bridge located over a waterbody an aesthetic look.
It also helps support a long central span, in this case a 45-metre-long span over the waterbody which is part of the National Waterway III (NW III).
It will have a seven-metre vertical clearance from the waterbody.
It will, however, be sleeker than the conventional bow-string bridges since the pier cap has been integrated with the beam, a method suggested by the late P.K. Aravindan, former professor of structural engineering at IIT-Chennai.
₹100 crore due holds up work
Work along the Kochi metro’s Maharaja’s College-Thykoodam stretch, which is slated for commissioning in July, has taken a hit, reportedly owing to dues that Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) owes to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) accumulating to ₹100 crore over the past three months.
This is the first time that dues have accumulated to this high an amount. It has resulted in several contractors slowing down work on the 5.50-km-long metro viaduct. DMRC has insisted on advance payment by up to three months to ensure that work adheres to the schedule, metro sources said.
A total of ₹650 crore is required to complete all pending metro work up to Pettah, located a kilometre beyond Thykoodam, they added.
Responding to the issue, KMRL managing director A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said ₹45 crore was paid on Saturday, while the remaining dues would be cleared in another 10 days. Chief Secretary Tom Jose had intervened in the issue, assuring payment of dues at the earliest, Mr. Hanish said.
The delay in clearing dues occurred since the State government is running short of funds, it is learnt.
