The Kochi Metro Rail Limited has completed resurfacing and improvement of 20 roads in the city through which vehicles would be diverted in connection with the metro rail works.
These roads have been resurfaced on a five-year guarantee using bituminous macadam and bituminous concrete (BMBC), at a total cost of Rs.16.31 crore. The work was entrusted to the Kerala State Construction Corporation (KSCC). As part of resurfacing, wet mix macadam was laid over the roads at a thickness of 150 mm to 300 mm. Over this was laid 60 mm thick dense graded bituminous macadam and it was finally topped with 40-mm bituminous concrete, said sources in the KMRL. The works got over a few days ago.
The roads improved/resurfaced in phase one are Veekshanam Road, C.P. Ummer Road, Pullepady-Kathrikadavu Road, the underpass and roads beside Kathrikadavu overbridge, Kaloor-Pachalam Gate-St Pius Church stretch, Thammanam-Kathrikadavu Road, Pipeline Road, St. Benedict-Paramara -North Railway Station Road, Rajaji Road, Azad Road, Pachalam Gate to Rajaji Road on Chittoor Road and Chathiath Church Road (from Chittoor Road to Goshree Road).
The following roads were improved/resurfaced in phase two – B.T. Road (from Pullepady bridge to Kottakanal Road), Lissie Hospital to Pullepady Road, Kathrikadavu Bridge to Kumaranasan Road, Doraiswami Iyer Road that links Chittoor and MG Roads, the road from Chathiath Church Junction to Pachalam Junction through Vaduthala railway gate and Lourdes Hospital, Salim Rajan overbridge site to Gandhinagar and Stadium Link Road (between Church Road to Samskara Junction at Palarivattom-Thammanam Road).
Some of the roads, including the Padma Junction-Pullepady-Thammanam Road have uneven width and have to be widened to two and four-lane roads. Most of these roads are owned by the corporation. The delay in land acquisition is purported to be the reason for the impediment in widening them. The State government had sanctioned Rs.158 crore to execute the preliminary works for the metro rail.
