KOCHI: The much awaited Edappally flyover will open for traffic on Sunday bringing a significant relief for the agonising traffic congestion and ending the apprehensions of further delay in commissioning.
Works minister G. Sudhakaran will inaugurate the overbridge constructed by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation as part of Kochi Metro works.
The opening of the bridge is expected to decongest the busiest and poorly planned Edappally Junction where two national highways meet. The flyover project has been delayed for more than a year and missed a couple of deadlines due to adverse weather and other factors including quarry strike.
The construction of the 400-metre long four-lane bridge with a 7.5-metre wide carriageway was started in November 2013 with an outlay of Rs 140 crore, including land acquisition and preparatory works, under SPEED Kerala programme of the previous government.
At the same time, residents of the area raise serious doubts over its benefits.
The bridge will not have the desired benefits as vehicles on the NH have to wait at the signal. As the flyover does not cover the busy Edappally Toll Junction, the busy area will turn into another bottleneck. Thousands of vehicles from Lulu Mall are taking the U-turn here, and many feel it could have been avoided if the bridge was extended by another 100 metres.
Meanwhile, the Palarivattom overbridge being constructed by Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala is in the final stages and will open to the public after Onam, said RBDCK managing director A.P.M. Mohammed Haneesh.
