PWD to take over road to Kochi Infopark

KOCHI: The City Corporation is relieved with the promise of Public Works minister G. Sudhakaran to take over the long-drawn Thammanam – Pullepady road widening and its proposed extension up to Infopark. During a meeting chaired by G. Sudhakaran, the government offered to take over the road development project, if the City Corporation was ready to hand over ownership. The road connecting MG Road to Infopark will improve east-west connectivity. Though the civic body had earlier passed a resolution to hand over the road to the PWD, the procedure has not been completed.

Meanwhile, the Corporation acquired half of the land required for the project spending Rs 10.64 crore from the Rs 25 crore that was released during the previous UDF government’s term. The unspent amount is still with the local body. The Corporation owns the road between M G Road and Vennala. The remaining stretch is owned by the Thrikkakara municipality. “The proposal will be discussed in the council session before taking a decision. The takeover of the road by the PWD is expected to speed up the widening and extension of the road,” said Mayor Soumini Jain. During the meeting, the Mayor also took up the demand for withdrawal of toll collection at Pullepady Bridge.

Earlier, the Roads and Bridges Corporation had agreed to take up the project in two phases, from MG Road to NH 47 and from there to Infopark. The expected cost of widening the Thammanam – Pullepady stretch to 22 metres is nearly Rs 263 cr including the cost for acquiring 4.01 hectares of land. Project consultant KITCO had submitted the detailed project report for the 4.06 kilometre-long second phase which will be 30 metres wide in the Corporation area while the rest of the alignment will be 45-metre wide. The proposal is to construct a four-lane access controlled road at a cost of Rs 412 crore.