The NHAI has put the cost of building flyovers at the congested Edapally, Palarivattom, Vytilla and Kundanoor junctions at Rs. 1,158 crore.
Two flyovers each have been mooted at Edapally, Palarivattom and Vytilla Junctions. The flyovers would be ready in three years' time, the Minister for Public Works V. K. Ibrahim Kunju said here on Monday, following a meeting held with people's representatives and officials of the NHAI and PWD. The flyovers were mooted by the NHAI over half-a-decade ago because of the burgeoning traffic through the Edapally-Aroor NH 47 Bypass.
The flyovers can be built faster if the Centre provides a grant for their construction, Mr. Kunju said. The flyovers at Edapally are estimated to cost Rs 706 crore, Palarivattom (Rs 110 crore), Vytilla (Rs. 251 crore) and Kundanoor (Rs. 90 crore). A three-lane flyover would link the Edapally Toll Junction with the four-lane highway in front of Oberon Mall, through Marottichuvadu. Another four-lane flyover too has been envisaged at the junction. The metro rail would co-exist with the flyovers here.
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A six-lane flyover would be built over the NH bypass at Palarivattom, while a four-lane one would link either side of the bypass. The flyovers would be built in three levels at Vytilla, with the metro rail alignment above them. A six-lane flyover would come up parallel to the bypass, while a four-lane flyover would link the SA Road with the Vytilla-Tripunithura Road.
It would have a link with the Vytilla mobility hub. At Kundanoor, the NHAI has envisaged a six-lane elevated structure over the bypass.
All these junctions are currently choked with vehicles during most parts of the day, because of inadequate space, faults with their design and encroachments.
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A committee comprising of people's representatives, the PWD Chief Engineer T. Baburaj and District Collector Sheik Pareeth would be set up to suggest modifications if any, since the metro-rail would co-exist with the flyovers at Edapally and Vytilla. The concerns of the Vytilla Mobility Hub Society too have to be addressed.
Those who were present at the meeting included MLAs Benny Behanan, Dominic Presentation and Hibi Eden, apart from Mayor Tony Chammany. A video presentation was made about the flyovers.
Though the Edapally-Vytilla stretch is four-lane in most portions, it carries as many vehicles that only a six or eight-lane highway can handle. With a textile showroom spread over 5 lakh sq.ft opening at Edapally a week ago and a massive shopping mall getting ready nearby, the junction and the whole of the bypass would soon see a manifold increase in vehicles and pedestrians.
RBDCK meeting
The board meeting of the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) too was held here under the chairmanship of Mr. Kunju. Ongoing overbridge projects across the State were reviewed. The bridges proposed at Atlantis and Pachalam in the city are hanging fire because of the delay in acquiring land.
The RBDCK has also been entrusted with the task of widening the Airport–Seaport Road into a four-lane one and extending it up to the airport. Its managing director Mohammed Hanish too was present.