Instructions have been issued to speed up the construction of the four-lane Thangalam-Kakkanad Road that is being developed through five Assembly constituencies and is expected to considerably augment connectivity from the eastern parts of Ernakulam district to Kakkanad and later into the city, Minister for Public Works and Tourism P.A. Mohamed Riyas said here on Monday.
A total of 12 hectares are needed to realise the ₹1,082-crore road project that will pass through Kunnathunad, Kothamangalam, Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha and Thrikkakkara constituencies. From Kakkanad, the corridor can further be linked to the NH Bypass and yet again to M.G. Road, he said. The Minister was speaking after inspecting Manakkakadavu through which the road will pass and a subsequent meeting when he went through the alignment drawings. While boosting connectivity from the city to Infopark and Smart City, the project will decongest Edappally, Palarivattom, Vazhakkala, and Pipeline Road, he said.
The project is funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
The upcoming road corridors will play a major role in the development of Kochi. Legislators representing the said areas have been pursuing the projects within the Assembly and outside.
Mr. Riyas said the other KIIFB-funded road projects in Kunnathunad, Perumbavoor, and Kothamangalam and regular road development work in Kalamassery, Thrikkakkara, and Aluva too will be sped up. People’s representatives and officials will hold meetings later this month to assess the progress of work. Ultimately, the projects will benefit the State as a whole, he added.
MLAs P.V. Srinijin, Antony John, and Eldhose Kunnapilly and officials of various departments participated in the meeting.
Bridge to be rebuilt
Later in the day, Mr. Riyas announced that the narrow Padavettipalam at Piravom would be rebuilt by the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) as part of the Kumarakom-Nedumbassery road project. The road is being developed to augment connectivity between the airport and Kumarakom. The bridge reconstruction will be included in the Rebuild Kerala project, considering that only one vehicle can use it at a time, despite the availability of wide roads on either side.
The Minister also inspected the Kalady overbridge which needs repair after a gap developed at its expansion joint. A sustainable solution will be found to the structural weakness of the bridge and traffic snarls on it with the help of the public. “The snarls here often lead to people missing flights. A solution has to be found through team work,” Mr. Riyas said.
In the meantime, people affected by the uncertainty over the Thripunithura Bypass submitted a memorandum to the Minister, seeking speedy realisation of the project whose land acquisition began over 30 years ago.
