Pipeline Junction, intersecting the National Highway 66 at Palarivattom in Kochi, is one of the busiest junctions in the city. Palarivattom flyover, built in 2016, had come as a huge relief to commuters who had been cursing the heavy traffic in the region for many years. However, the flyover, built at a cost of Rs 47.7 crores, has been closed down after cracks appeared on the structure, taking the traffic situation back to square one.
The Pipeline Junction connects Palarivattom, Edapally, Vytilla and Kakkanad. Four of these places are other equally important junctions in the city. While the district administrative offices and the InfoPark – the major technology park of the state - are located in Kakkanad, Vytilla houses one of the biggest bus terminals of Kerala. Edapally is where National Highway 544 ends.
With the flyover’s closure, commuters plying between these locations have been facing long traffic jams.
The serious flaws in the construction of the flyover came to light when experts from IIT-Madras submitted their study report. According to Kerala PWD Minister G Sudhakaran, the report submitted by the experts shows that the flyover has serious structural problems and points to several faults during construction.
“Since it is a junction that sees heavy traffic normally, the closure of this flyover has made matters worse. Usually, it takes me 10 minutes to cross Kakkanad and Palarivattom, but now I need at least half an hour to pass through,” Thomas, a resident of Kakkanad told TNM.
The block at Pipeline Junction also impacts the traffic at Vytilla and Edapally junction.
The Palarivattom flyover will be closed until the end of this month. According to the IIT-Madras report, however, the flyover will need at least three more months to be restored.
Faulty construction?
The construction of the flyover began in 2014 when the Oommen Chandy government was in power. Including the cost of land acquisition, the project was completed at a cost of Rs 72.6 crore. The construction of the flyover, which covers a distance of 639 meters, cost Rs 47.70 crore.
“The Palarivattom flyover and Edapally flyover were built around the same time. While the Edapally flyover built by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) has remained intact, issues with the Palarivattom flyover, built by the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Limited (RBDCK), started appearing within months,” a senior journalist from Kochi told TNM.
Minister G Sudhakaran has also lashed out at the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Limited (RBDCK) and KITCO Limited, the consultancy agency, for their apathy that has caused this issue.
“As per the reports of IIT-Madras, several parts of the flyover were constructed using low-quality concrete. They have either done this for economic gains or to complete the project in a hurry,” said the minister.
Meanwhile, APM Mohammed Hanish IAS, who was the managing director of Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Limited when the construction of the flyover commenced, told TNM that it was KITCO that had directly monitored the project and not RBDCK.
“RBDCK is a company that has constructed about 45 flyovers in the state in the last 20 years, regardless of their staff capacity The company, which was given the contract, was also a well-known organisation that has been carrying out many projects across the country. But the project was not directly monitored by RBDCK, the consulting agency KITCO monitored all the works. RBDCK just moved things based on the report they gave,” Mohammed Hanish IAS told TNM.
The PWD Minister has ordered for a probe by Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VAB) on the issue. He has submitted the study reports of IIT-Madras, PWD and RBDCK to the probe team.
New road diversions
For the last five days since the Palarivattom flyover has been closed, the Kochi police have been trying to ease the traffic. At present, vehicles passing between Edapally and Vytilla will be using the approach road located near the flyover.
Some changes were made on Civil Lane Road, which connects Palarivattom and Kakkanad, as it is located under the flyover.
Vehicles coming from Kakkanad to Palarivattom have been asked to take U-turns near Ernakulam Medical Centre. The vehicles going from Palarivattom side were diverted towards the Oberon Mall to enter Kakkanad region.