Minister launches work on Kundannoor flyover

An underpass has been proposed at Vyttila to smoothen the movement of traffic between S.A. Road and Thripunithura, said Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran on Saturday.

Work on the underpass would begin once the six-lane flyover was ready at the junction and land acquisition would be minimal, he said, after laying the foundation stone for a flyover at Kundannoor on the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass, where three national highways converge.

Steps will be taken to decongest the junction where Ponnurunni Road ends at Vyttila, by providing motorists coming from Kadavanthra a straight link to Thripunithura Road.

Road works

Moreover, vehicles from Pettah will be able to access Vyttila hub through the hub’s exit road. The tarred portion of service roads at the junction too will be widened to enable to-and-fro traffic. Steps will also be taken to fill potholes and to relocate the slabs and drains on service roads (which now hamper merging of the NH Bypass carriageway and service roads).

The works would begin very soon to streamline the movement of vehicles, said Mr. Sudhakaran.

The recommendations were made by an expert committee headed by the PWD Secretary. Steps will be taken to complete work on the pillars of the upcoming flyover before the monsoon kicks in.

On the alternative suggestion to have a clover-leaf flyover at Vyttila, Mr. Sudhakaran said it would cost over ₹1,000 crore and many buildings would have to be demolished.

Referring to the 701-metre-long, six-lane Kundannoor flyover that would come up over the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass, he said the structure would be readied by Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) in March 2020.

The contracting firm Mary Matha Constructions won the bid by quoting ₹74.45 crore, though the estimate as per the detailed project report was ₹81 crore.

NH 66, NH 966 B and NH 85 converge at Kundannoor Junction.

Slip roads

Prior to the commencement of flyover work, slip roads will be built and service roads widened to enable smooth flow of vehicles when piling begins. The flyover will not have expansion joints, to enable smooth travel. Reinforced earth wall technology will be adopted to enable optimal use of service roads on Vyttila side. There will be a single pier cap over two piers.

A roundabout will be built beneath the flyover for streamlined flow of vehicles beneath the flyover. Land acquisition was not needed for the flyover and junction development works, said Asha Thomas, managing director of RBDCK.

The State government funds are being used for both Vyttila and Kundannoor flyovers, though the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) owns the NH Bypass.