The shoddily built Palarivattom flyover on the National Highway 66 Bypass in Kochi will be ‘partially’ demolished and a new flyover will be constructed under the overall supervision of ‘Metroman’ E. Sreedharan.
The work will commence in the first week of October and the aim is to complete it in one year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told a press conference on Monday after holding discussions with Mr. Sreedharan and Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran.
The design and estimate will be worked out by Mr. Sreedharan. A reputed agency with good technical know-how in the construction of flyover will be roped in and there will be another agency for the supervision of the work.
Mr. Sreedharan had earlier pointed out that the structural safety of the flyover was in doubt. A report of structural engineers of the IIT Madras on rectifying the cracks of girders and pier caps is before the government, but there is no clarity on the life of the flyover after the repairs, Mr. Vijayan said.
“Technically and financially, it has been inferred that reconstruction of the flyover is appropriate and feasible as repairs and rehabilitation are not enough. The government is accepting the recommendation of Mr. Sreedharan,” he said.
VACB probe
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had arrested former Public Works Secretary T. O. Sooraj and three other officials in connection with the ongoing probe into the flyover fiasco. The VACB, tasked with the inquiry, had acted on technical experts’ observations on the compromise on quality of materials such as cement and steel.
The structure was built in 2016 by the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Limited (RBDCK), a subsidiary of the Public Works Department. Kitco was behind the design and technical consultancy and the New Delhi-based contracting firm RDS Projects Ltd executed the work.
The cracks in the flyover were detected in October 2018 by a team of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The flyover has a length of 750 m, including the 442- m bridge, and approach roads on both sides.