Marking the end of a three-year wait, the new railway overbridge at Nagambadam here has been partially opened to traffic ahead of its formal inauguration.
Vehicles began to ply on the bridge, which is in the final phase of construction, in one direction towards the Ettumanur side by around 3 a.m. on Tuesday. Vehicles in the opposite direction will continue to proceed through the old ROB till completion of the work. Work is progressing round-the-clock and officials expect the remaining work, including the construction of approach roads and surfacing of the bridge’s deck, could be completed in two weeks. Upon completion, the 40-metre ROB will replace the old narrow one alongside it.
Delays
The construction of the bridge, which began in May 2015, faced delays during many stages due to various reasons, triggering waves of public protests.
The new ROB forms part of the second stage upgrading of the MC Road between Chengannur and Ettumanur. The estimated cost is ₹27.52 crore, of which the Kerala State Road Transport Project contributed ₹17.81 crore.
Once thrown open to traffic, the bridge will ease the bottleneck at the northern entry of Kottayam town, where queuing up of vehicles during peak traffic hours is a regular sight.