Rajaji Road and Mavoor Road in Kozhikode are undergoing a facelift, the results of which may be quite evident in a couple of months. The foot overbridge with escalator and lift that is coming up across Rajaji Road connecting the mofusil bus stand to V.K. Krishnamenon Indoor Stadium will be launched in March. Coupled with the renovated footpaths along the roads, it is going to streamline the pedestrian traffic in the area and also ease the vehicular traffic as well.
The construction of the foot overbridge and the attached amenities began in February 2019 and is nearing completion. Deputy Mayor Meera Darshak told The Hindu that most of the work was finished and the facility would be ready to be used as soon as the machines (lifts and escalators) were fitted. The machines were being imported from China, she said.
Barricaded footpaths
She said that the footpaths in the area that were being renovated would be barricaded with rails while the median of the road would be reinforced. As a result, pedestrians would not be able to cross the road and would have to depend solely on the overbridge-cum-escalator facility. The lift is to be used by elderly and differently-abled people only, Ms. Darshak said.
A foot overbridge that existed in the same location earlier was brought down as it fell out of use, with pedestrians preferring to walk across the road instead of using it. The regular pedestrian crossing near the indoor stadium is one of the factors that lead to constant traffic congestion near the mofusil bus stand. With the pedestrians using the new facility, the corporation expects that there will be much lesser congestion on the road.
The foot overbridge, escalator, lift and the new tiled footpaths are being constructed at a cost of ₹11.35 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme. The work is being carried out by the Uralungal Labour Contractors Cooperative Society. Kochi Metro Rail Limited prepared the structural design. The facility being commissioned in mid-March will be the first of its kind in the State in a corporation.
