Lanes one and four of the North overbridge were thrown open to buses and light vehicles for over an hour on Monday as part of a trial run.
The KSRTC’s Volvo bus plying from the city to Mattancherry was the first to be permitted through the new lanes of the bridge. Its passengers and crew were in for a surprise as they were welcomed with sweets as the bus entered the bridge.
During this time, no vehicle was permitted through the bridge’s centre (the old bridge), which is expected to be pulled down by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in January. The agency has fixed September 2013 as the deadline to rebuild lanes two and three of the new bridge. The metro rail’s pillars will come up over it, at a height of 17 m from the railway line beneath the bridge.
Successful trial
The trial run was a success, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Edapally Traffic) K.S. Baby Vinod. “We will direct vehicles through the new lanes once the DMRC barricades the footpaths on either side of the bridge.
The foot overbridge and its approach roads too must be completed. To ensure safe and smooth flow of vehicles, retro-reflective sign boards and studs have to be installed so that people can identify the kerb of the two new lanes,” he said.
A speed limit of 20 km per hour has been fixed for the new lanes, each of which has a width of 3.30 m. Another half a metre will be added to their width once lanes two and three are rebuilt and merged with the other two lanes.
The police have also sought installation of more street lights. Sources in the DMRC said the iron girder of the foot overbridge proposed on the bridge’s northern side will soon be launched. The railway line beneath will have to be blocked for a couple of hours at midnight for the purpose.
The total project cost for the four-lane bridge and the metro pillars at the centre is Rs.70-crore. The DMRC completed lanes one and two in 10 months, though nine months was the deadline. “Frequent strikes by tipper lorry and quarry owners caused the marginal delay,” DMRC sources said.
