With the preliminary notification to acquire 0.059 hectares to build an overbridge at Atlantis being issued and a special tahsildar being appointed for land acquisition, the demand to build long-overdue bridges at Vaduthala and Vathuruthy has gained momentum.
The overbridge is expected to help decongest the Ernakulam South overbridge, Valanjambalam, and Pallimukku. Simultaneously, the long-pending overbridge at Vaduthala too must be completed in a time-bound manner, so that the northern parts of the city are decongested, said Felix Pullooden of Greater Cochin Development Watch (GCDW).
“The Vaduthala bridge could have been realised by now, but for pressure groups playing spoilsport. It also holds the key to catalysing yet another road project that was mooted about 40 years ago — the Goshree-Chathiath-Mamangalam Road. I vividly remember meeting late Chief Minister K. Karunakaran when I was associated with Kerala Catholic Youth Movement [KCYM], seeking a bridge at Vaduthala. Commuters will benefit from the Pachalam bridge only if this bridge too is readied,” he added.
Mr. Pullooden spoke of how an elevated roundabout that had been mooted in Pachalam two decades ago, and having one arm landing at Vaduthala, would have solved much of the commuting issues in the region.
Hope is still not lost for the Vaduthala bridge, said Hibi Eden, Ernakulam MP. “I recently attended a social impact assessment [SIA] hearing on the project. Similarly, a revised design of the Vaduthala-Perandoor overbridge, a project that was initially sanctioned in 2015, has been readied. A test pile for this too was done at the Perandoor canal. Many individuals and firms were willing to hand over advance possession of their land for the project. This will provide Vaduthala residents with a new exit into the city hub,” he said.
On the proposal for a long-overdue bridge at Vathuruthy, Mr. Eden said its construction could have begun if Cochin Shipyard and Cochin Port Trust gave their nod for the project that would help West Kochi residents and also help extend train services to the Harbour Terminus railway station.
