Palarivattom flyover: Demolition to begin on Monday, reconstruction to take 8 months

KOCHI:  Reconstruction work of Palarivattom flyover will begin on Monday as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) Ltd held a meeting to finalise the procedures for beginning the demolition work as part of the reconstruction. ULCCS chairman Rameshan Paleri said they had a discussion with the DMRC on finalising the date for commencement of the work and it will begin on Monday.

The demolition will be held in different phases and steps will be taken to ensure free flow of traffic through the stretch. Majority of the work will be carried out during night time and a proper action plan will be put in place when spans and pier caps are demolished. The reconstruction will be carried out as per the project report prepared by Metroman E Sreedharan. It will take eight months for the reconstruction of the flyover.

The state government has expedited the procedures for reconstruction of the flyover immediately after the Supreme Court on September 22 granted permission   to demolish and rebuild the Palarivattom flyover.  Following the favourable verdict, the state government decided to go by the report submitted by Sreedharan who recommended partial reconstruction rather than total demolition.

Sreedharan, who conducted a detailed inspection of the `42 crore flyover that was closed for traffic just three years after its commissioning in 2016 because of major cracks, had submitted a report to the state government on July 4, 2019, on the structural stability of the flyover ruling out total demolition of the flyover and only partial reconstruction to restore it. The state government is expecting a cost of `18 crore for the flyover’s partial reconstruction.

‘Only a few spans need to be reconstructed’
After submitting the report, E Sreedharan had said that foundation and pillars of the flyover were strong and only a few spans need to be reconstructed.