Clover-leaf junctions, built in the shape of a clover-leaf structure, could be tried out along the NH 47 bypass in Kochi on a pilot basis as the construction of flyovers is incurring huge government expenditure and land acquisition, the Director General (Road Development) of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) C. Kandasamy has said.
The Kathipara flyover, a clover-leaf junction, in Chennai is a non-conventional method to overcome traffic hold ups at junctions. Any concessionaire (a person or business that has been given the right to sell something on property owned by someone else, in this case the NHAI) can come up with a clover-leaf proposal, especially for the Kundannoor and Palarivattom junctions, the two junctions where the proposed metro rail do not criss-cross the proposed flyovers, on the NH bypass. He was making a presentation here on ‘Elevated highways and road development in Kerala', organised by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
Unlike flyovers, where people who surrender land might have to be rehabilitated in a different place, evictees can be located near their original land if high-rises are built within the loops of the clover leaf. These buildings can be interlinked using skybridges and can be used for housing people, including evictees, and also shops and other businesses. This would result in roads becoming corridors of development, Mr. Kandasamy said. He referred to the Osaka expressway in Japan that cuts through the seventh floor of a high-rise building.
By adopting the conventional method, the four flyovers proposed on the Edapally-Aroor bypass might cost about Rs.1,400 crore. If a concessionaire is entrusted with the works, in this case building a clover-leaf junction or a flyover, it can be permitted to use the space above and beneath the structure. This would be a win-win situation for everyone and also solve the problems associated with land acquisition. There will not be public opposition to land acquisition since people of the locality can be a part of the effort, he said.
He spoke of how the toll-free Tokyo Expressway was built in the 1950's at the initiative of 23 business leaders who came together to constitute a company. Flyovers built in the conventional way take time and funds have to be included in the budget, he said.
Reacting to concerns raised by the Minister for Public Works V.K. Ebrahim Kunju about the MoRTH not releasing the special funds for road repairs, Mr. Kandasamy said that the Ministry was committed to releasing the funds.
Inaugurating the function, Mr. Kunju said that Kerala could not keep pace with the road development works being done in other States. Unlike most other States, a good share of Kerala's population is concentrated on either side of roads, making widening of roads a tough proposition. But the government has lifted the ban on land acquisition so that busy roads can be widened. The KCCI chairman K.N. Marzook expressed concern at Kochi's roads, junctions and bridges remaining very narrow, despite a huge increase in number of vehicles. The others who were present include Mayor Tony Chammany, P. Rajeev, MP, and Hibi Eden, MLA.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies K.V. Thomas chaired a meeting discussing the four flyovers proposed on the NH bypass. Mr. Thomas said that a preliminary report was ready. The Centre is expected to give a Rs.700 crore grant for the flyovers. Mr. Kandasamy and the Kochi project director of NHAI, C.T. Abraham were present.
