Commuters in Kochi can soon heave a sigh of relief. The flyovers being constructed at Vyttila and Kundanoor, two of the bottleneck spots in the region, will be open to the public in five months, that is, by March 2020.
Both the flyovers are being constructed at two of the prime junctions in Kochi – Vyttila and Kundanoor. Vyttila connects the suburbs of Kochi – like Trippunithura and the adjacent industrial areas in and around Vadavucode-Puthencruz panchayat – with the city centre. Kundanoor connects the backwater island stretches of regions like Panangad, Kumbalam and Nettoor with the city. Vehicles coming from Alappuzha district through Aroor also find an easy pathway into the city through the Kundanoor junction.
Construction of both the flyovers located along National Highway 66 had created heavy traffic congestion in the stretch for the past several months. However, the traffic woes are expected to ease with the opening of the flyovers.
The construction of the flyovers began when the LDF government came to power in 2016. The Vyttila flyover, with a length of 717 metre, is being constructed at a cost of Rs 78.37 crore, while the 750 metre-long Kundanoor flyover is built for Rs 74.45 crore.
Recently, at a meeting conducted in Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reviewed the status of construction of both the flyovers and said that he has given direction to expedite the works.
The Vyttila flyover, which started construction in December 2017, according to reports, was initially scheduled to be completed by 2019. As per the current status, 75% of the work on Vyttila flyover is completed, and 68% of the work on Kundanoor flyover has been completed.
The controversial Palarivattom flyover, which has been closed down due to structural damages and cracks, is located about 5 kilometres from Vyttila junction on National Highway 66. The closing down of Palarivattom flyover had also caused an increase in traffic congestion in the region.
Kochi Metro busts fake news on Vyttila flyover
Recently, a photo was doing rounds on social media platforms, stating that the Vyttila flyover is being constructed unscientifically. The photo, which was shot from a particular angle, showed the flyover and Kochi Metro’s railway line passing just above it intersecting with each other. It was propagated that heavy vehicles passing through the flyover will collide with the metro line.
Photo that circulated in social media propagating vehicles passing through flyover will collide with metro rail
Clarifying the photo, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) called it fake news and tweeted photos showing the actual distance between metro rails line and the flyover below it.
നോക്കണ്ട രീതിയിൽ നോക്കിയാൽ,
— Kochi Metro Rail (@MetroRailKochi) October 10, 2019
ശരിയായ രീതിയിൽ കാണാം !#മാനംമുട്ടിമെട്രോപറക്കും pic.twitter.com/09y8pGGfoo