Kochi: Service road eases congestion

Kochi: Traffic congestion at Kundannoor Junction on NH66, where the flyover construction by PWD contractor is in progress, has been eased to an extent with the opening of the widened and raised service road on the western side of the highway which reaches the junction from Aroor side, on Saturday.

With a large portion in the middle being barricaded to facilitate the construction works of the flyover, vehicles have been struggling for enough space to pass the stretch and proceed to Vyttila. Traffic snarls have been the order of the day ever since the construction works on the flyover had begun.

With the service road raised and widened, there is much more space for vehicles to move and this has become a relief during peak traffic hours. Already service roads on two sides north of the junction have facilitated comparatively better movement of vehicles.

A senior PWD official said that the service road by the eastern side of the highway as it reaches the junction from the Aroor side too will be rasied to facilitate smooth movement of the vehicles on that side too. “This will be completed in two weeks. Once it is completed, the traffic snarls on the stretch will be reduced considerably,” the official said adding piling work on the Aroor side of the flyover will start after this service road is opened.

“The billowing dust at the junction is a major threat to the health of pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. When trailers and other big vehicles come to the junction, traffic congestion still occurs,” said Arun Kumar who commutes from Aroor to Vyttila. The PWD official added that the raised service roads will be tarred to find solution to this menace to a great extent.

The official also said that 35 percent of the work on the Kundannoor flyover has been completed. The flyover is scheduled to be completed by March 2020.