The widening of the 8-km Kariavattom-Kesavadasapuram stretch of the National Highway is the “most crucial” factor for the completion of the proposed 22.2-km monorail from Technocity to Karamana..
The 8-km Route 2 section has to be widened from the existing 11metres to at least 22 metres to accommodate the two-track beams on circular pillars to be erected on the medians along the centre of the road, according to the Principal Adviser, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, E. Sreedharan.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for widening of the 8-km stretch is being prepared by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac). The project is expected to take at least three years. The civil works can commence only after the road widening as pillars for the monorails have to be erected.
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Mr. Sreedharan said the Route 2 section would take 5 years for completion while the Route 1 section from Technocity to Kariavattom can be commissioned in 30 months after the turn key contractor is finalised. The Route 3 section of 8 km from Kesavadasapuram to Karamana can be commissioned only along with Route 2, thereby making it a ‘critical factor’ for those taking up the monorail project.
The DMRC has suggested that widening of the Kariavattom-Kesavadasapuram stretch should be handed over to a special agency such as the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation Kerala (RBDCK). A special land acquisition officer should be posted for acquiring the land on the 8-km stretch, it said.
Natpac has now agreed to submit the DPR for the road widening within one month, on the intervention of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Mr. Sreedharan said the first phase of the monorail could be completed in four years if the 8-km R 2 section was widened at the earliest.
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The DMRC has not estimated the number of families or the shops to be evicted on account of the widening on the Kariavattom-Kesavadasapuram stretch. In the other sections, only 39 families and 65 shops will be affected by the monorail.
Another critical factor pointed out by the DMRC in the DPR is the need for approval of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to locate the monorail pillars along the centre of the busy road from Technocity to Kazhakuttom junction.
The urgency of constructing flyovers at the busy Sreekariyam, Ulooor, Pattom and Plamoodu junctions that are already congested is the other crucial factor. Mr. Sreedharan said government intervention was needed so that the flyover work and the pillar work can be taken up together. Detailed plans have been prepared and submitted to the State for the flyovers, estimated to cost Rs.73 crore. Mr. Sredharan said the construction of the flyovers should be taken now as it would be difficult to take it up after the monorail comes up. The elevated rail-based mass rapid transit system (MRTS) will come up in the Technocity- Pallippuram-Kazhakuttom