The National Highway Division of the Public Works Department (PWD) is awaiting administrative and technical sanction from the State government to commence with the process of constructing two flyovers at Ramanattukara and Thondayad on the Kozhikode Bypass.
The construction of two flyovers at Ramanattukara and Thondayad, meant to decongest the choked bypass, has been envisaged under the District Flagship Infrastructure Project (DFIP), a major initiative of the government. A special purpose vehicle, Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), will implement these projects.
Official sources said that the PWD had already prepared an estimate of Rs 213 core for the construction of these two flyovers. The estimate prepared for the flyover at Ramanattukara is Rs. 119 crore and at Thondayad, Rs. 94 crore.
“The project has been submitted to the PWD Secretariat. A secretary-level meeting was held in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Only after obtaining administrative and technical sanctions, the department can go for the tendering process at the national level, possibly in December,” E.K. Hydru, executive engineer (National Highway Division), said.
Proposal
In fact, the proposal is to construct two flyovers at both Ramanattukara and Thondayad so as to facilitate a four-lane carriageway. This would be in sync with the proposed widening of the 28.14 km two-lane Kozhikode Bypass, another multi-crore project. Besides, a second bridge also has to be constructed parallel to the existing bridge near Ramanattukara, Mr. Hydru said.
City planners have been demanding construction of flyovers at the busy Ramanattukara, Thondayad, Eranhipalam and Malaparamba junctions on the Kozhikode Bypass for a long time in the wake of the rapid expansion of the city on the north- eastern side.
The two projects in the city are part of the 21 infrastructure projects announced under the DFIP meant to give a stimulus to the infrastructural projects in the districts of the State. The government plans to use agencies like the KRFB, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation to mop up resources. Through this process, the government hoped to channelise investment in infrastructure to the tune of Rs. 25,000 crore in the next three years, officials said.
