Road renovation leaves residents in the lurch

Thiruvananthapuram: The 7.06 km Pazhakutty-Vembayam road which is currently completely closed to commuters due to the renovation of bridge and road is causing severe inconvenience to the commuters. The construction works which started six months ago have made life difficult for not only the commuters, but also for the residents and the vendors of the area. Most of the local vendors of the area are facing severe financial loss as the customers are altogether avoiding the area due to the dilapidated state of the road. The authorities expect to open the road for the public by the end of 2023 only and the works are being done by the Theruvath builders under the guidance of Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB).
The road which connects Pothencode, Kallambalam, Kollam routes used to witness heavy traffic earlier. The renovations, including foundation of the bridge, road basement and drainage system based on a proper study of the geography of the area are progressing. The Pazhakutty-Vembayam road is the first phase of the project.
The original project covers a total distance of 21 km passing through Mukkampalamoodu, Pothencode and Mangalapuram. According to an official from KRFB, the new road is being constructed at an increased height of 58 cm from the old road and the drainage is constructed at a width of 85 cm and a height of 75 cm. As the road has a total of 17 culverts, each of it has to be demolished and restored according to the present width of 13.6 m. Among that, around 14 culverts are at the final stage of its construction. At the same time, the first layer of tarring will be started according to the completion of road formation works.
“Earlier, we used to get a good number of travellers daily as the road connects major areas of the town. As the work started, the number of passengers declined and presently we barely get a couple of rides a day. The alternative road to the area is double the distance which makes the auto fare expensive to the public. So, most of the residents choose to walk to their houses,” said Joy A, one of the drivers of Pazhakutty auto stand.
Although the locals and traders are suffering due to the renovation works, they are happy that once the works are done they will get a road with better amenities. However, they are also worried about the hospital emergencies and travel expenses. As the bridge was demolished for the renovation, the vehicles coming from the Vembayam to Nedumangad route have to take deviation from Vengavila to Panavoor-Putenpalam-Nedumangadu route or take the Vattapara route.