The delay in identifying a suitable site to cast the beams of the1.6-km four-lane flyover in front of the Thiruvananthapuram international terminal has upset the work schedule of the 3.5-km Chakka-Enchakkal-Muttathara stretch of the 26.7-km Kazhakuttam-Mukkola corridor of the National Highway 66 bypass.
With more than 90% of the Reach I bypass works over, the NHAI has expedited the remaining work on the Chakka-Enchakkal corridor and the ₹142-crore flyover from old and upcoming railway overbridge at Chakka up to Kingsway Hotel
But, the NHAI and the Hyderabad-based KNR Constructions Ltd (KNRCL), the EPC contractor, are finding it difficult to get a suitable site by the side of the bypass to cast the 300 beams of the flyover and to transport them to the site easily.
They are looking for two to three acres of land near the busy Chakka-Enchakkal corridor for the hassle-free transportation of the beams and to avoid inconvenience to road users and the local people.
Prohibitive rental charges is preventing the NHAI authorities from taking the land belonging to the KSRTC at Eenchakkal on lease. “The KSRTC is demanding ₹78 per cent for a month on lease. We will have to shelve out a big amount for four months for the four acres of KSRTC land,” a top NHAI official said.
Work on the 40-odd pillars of the flyover is progressing and only 90 of the 390 beams have been cast. The flyover that will encompass the service road and the piers will be 25 m apart. Only after getting the site, the EPC contractor can cast the 300 beams.
Work on ROB
Meanwhile, the NHAI is also speeding up the completion of the second railway overbridge (ROB) at Chakka. The NHAI has successfully placed the five 44-m-long steel composite girder of the proposed overbridge over the busy railway corridor.
The concreting work will be taken up soon, the NHAI official said.
