Ending a three-and-a-half-year-long wait, the Nagampadam railway overbridge (ROB) in Kottayam town became fully operational on Saturday.
The railway authorities had completed the final portion of the asphalts work of the approach roads leading to the ROB by Saturday evening. Following this, the overbridge was opened to two-way traffic, resolving the traffic woes along the Main Central (MC) road to a good extent.
It was in May 2015 that the work on the new overbridge commenced as part of track-doubling work between Ettumanur and Chingavanam and the second phase expansion of the MC road.
Though the plan was to complete the work within 18 months, it suffered a delay owing to various reasons.
The estimated cost of constructing the bridge worked out to be ₹27.5 crore, of which the Kerala State Transport Project, the agency constructing the MC road, contributed ₹17.81 crore.
Though the asphalts work was complete, the beautification works of the footpaths, construction of a bus-bay and traffic islands at the location will be conducted at a later stage.