KOCHI: The much-awaited Palarivattom, Edappally flyovers will be commissioned by mid May, ending uncertainty over completion of the projects. Public Works Minister V.K Ebrahim Kunju had earlier announced that Palarivattom flyover would be opened for traffic by February 20 and Edappally by April.
Public Works Department principal secretary A. P. M. Muhammad Haneesh told DC that a state-level review meeting to assess the progress of the Palarivattom flyover was convened in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. "After a lull, works have gained momentum. Stretching girders will be completed at the earliest. If the current progress is any indication, the bridge can be open for traffic by May 15," he said.
After completing 75 per cent of the works, Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK), the agency implementing the project, had to stop construction for nearly a month due to scarcity of funds. Before the paucity in works, an RBDCK official had maintained that construction of the 19 spans was in final stage.
Construction of the centre span, the biggest with a length of 35 metres, will take more time for which traffic along the stretch has to be diverted. RBDCK has already sought the support of traffic police authorities to impose traffic regulation.
Once the Rs 72-crore flyover is commissioned, traffic on the Kakkanad-Palarivattom road and the NH 47 will be decongested to a great extent.
Works on the Edappally flyover also have reached the final stage. So far 80 per cent of the works have been completed. "Works are progressing on fast pace and the over bridge can be opened for traffic by mid-May," according to sources at Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the agency executing the project. However, the PWD is clueless on when would the works on Vyttila and Kundanoor flyovers begin.
