An interim report submitted by the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), has recommended the construction of an alternative road to divert traffic while work is taken up on the Gap Road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway. The team has okayed the continuation of road work.
An official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Sunday said that the construction of a parallel road would be costly due to the topographical features. A decision on it would be taken at a meeting to be presided by the District Collector in three days. Permission has been given to undertake the work after the submission of the interim report.
Traffic on the road has been suspended following two major landslips on the Gap Road stretch on July 28 and October I8. Roadside shops and parked vehicles were destroyed on the landslip on July 28 and in the second instance, two workers were killed.
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The debris from the site reached nearly a kilometre down.
A report by the district geologist had recommended a survey by an expert team from the NIT-C before the work was resumed.
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It was alleged that simultaneous blasting of rocks at different spots led to the landslips.
The NIT-C team that examined the two sites reported that the second site was more accident prone. The team recommended iron fencing to prevent accidents in future.
The report said the area was prone to accident due to the special formation of soil and rocks. Here soil formation is there between the different layers of rocks. Water seeping through it might cause further landslips.
The report recommended measures to clear the debris and rock while the work is undertaken.
The Gap Road stretch was constructed during the British era with minimal blasting of rocks. But the stretch is narrow and only one-way traffic is possible.
A detailed report is expected soon.
The Gap Road stretch connect Ernakulam with Munnar.