KOCHI: With the city grappling with traffic jams, the corporation has not yet woken up to the need for relaying side roads before the work on Metro, especially on the stretch between Edappally andKaloor, begins in right earnest.
Once work begins on this sector, traffic will have to be diverted from the old highway linking Edappally, Mamangalam, Palarivattom and Kaloor.
While authorities have not made any plans to divert vehicles through interior roads, councillors have pointed out that the side roads would not be able to facilitate heavy movement of traffic in the current state.
When construction of Metro begins, traffic on the Edappally-Kaloor stretch would be diverted through Devankulangara Junction (near Changampuzha Park), Edappally Raghavan Pillai Road, BTS Road, Karukapally Junction, Keerthi Nagar Junction, Little Flower Church Road (Perandoor Road), Pottakuzhi Road, P J Antony Road, Irrittakulangara Road to reach Pachalam and then proceed to Chittoor Road. There are similar side roads to Mamangalam Junction, North Janatha Junction, Deshabhimani Junction, Mathrubhoomi and Kaloor- Elamakkara Road. Most of these roads are in disrepair and have to be relaid.
The corporation has been following the 20mm carpet chipping method for relaying roads, which have a short lifespan of about three months and does not have the guarantee of the contractor to boot.
"People residing on these roads have asked authorities to follow the example set by Kochi MetroRail Ltd (KMRL) and relay roads using the bitumen macadam and bitumen concrete (BM&BC) method. This would ensure roads have a longer life and comes with a guarantee. When traffic regulations kick in, more vehicles will use these bylanes and they should be strong enough to withstand heavy traffic," said Minimol V K, councillor representing the Mamamgalam division.
Earlier, while relaying about 10 city roads for traffic diversion to dismantle the North Railway Overbridge ( ROB), former KMRL chairman Tom Jose had said that the 20mm carpet chipping method used by the corporation would, at best, last for three months.
But side roads such as the BTS Road, Housing Board Colony (HBC) Road, Eroor Vasudev Road, Pottakuzhy-Karukapilly Road, which serve as link roads, have to be completely relaid. While telephone and electric posts obstruct smooth movement of vehicles on the Pottakuzhy-Karukapilly Road, there are no concrete slabs over drains on the Eroor Vasudev Road.
According to councillor M Anilkumar, who represents Elamakkara North division, while a portion of the Elamakkara Road between Pottakuzhy and Kaloor has been repaired following the BM&BC method, the remaining five km stretch from Pottakuzhy to Edappally has been done using the 20mm carpet chipping method. The stretch between Desabhimani Junction to Punnakkal Junction and Keerthi Nagar Junction to Thanikkal Junction also have to be relaid.
"The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has taken up the task of repairing the BTS Road as part of the restoration works. KWA had dug up the road to lay pipelines," said works committee chairperson Soumini Jain. She also said that the corporation has not yet received any suggestion from Metro agencies on traffic diversion plans.
Once work begins on this sector, traffic will have to be diverted from the old highway linking Edappally, Mamangalam, Palarivattom and Kaloor.
While authorities have not made any plans to divert vehicles through interior roads, councillors have pointed out that the side roads would not be able to facilitate heavy movement of traffic in the current state.
When construction of Metro begins, traffic on the Edappally-Kaloor stretch would be diverted through Devankulangara Junction (near Changampuzha Park), Edappally Raghavan Pillai Road, BTS Road, Karukapally Junction, Keerthi Nagar Junction, Little Flower Church Road (Perandoor Road), Pottakuzhi Road, P J Antony Road, Irrittakulangara Road to reach Pachalam and then proceed to Chittoor Road. There are similar side roads to Mamangalam Junction, North Janatha Junction, Deshabhimani Junction, Mathrubhoomi and Kaloor- Elamakkara Road. Most of these roads are in disrepair and have to be relaid.
The corporation has been following the 20mm carpet chipping method for relaying roads, which have a short lifespan of about three months and does not have the guarantee of the contractor to boot.
"People residing on these roads have asked authorities to follow the example set by Kochi MetroRail Ltd (KMRL) and relay roads using the bitumen macadam and bitumen concrete (BM&BC) method. This would ensure roads have a longer life and comes with a guarantee. When traffic regulations kick in, more vehicles will use these bylanes and they should be strong enough to withstand heavy traffic," said Minimol V K, councillor representing the Mamamgalam division.
Earlier, while relaying about 10 city roads for traffic diversion to dismantle the North Railway Overbridge ( ROB), former KMRL chairman Tom Jose had said that the 20mm carpet chipping method used by the corporation would, at best, last for three months.
But side roads such as the BTS Road, Housing Board Colony (HBC) Road, Eroor Vasudev Road, Pottakuzhy-Karukapilly Road, which serve as link roads, have to be completely relaid. While telephone and electric posts obstruct smooth movement of vehicles on the Pottakuzhy-Karukapilly Road, there are no concrete slabs over drains on the Eroor Vasudev Road.
According to councillor M Anilkumar, who represents Elamakkara North division, while a portion of the Elamakkara Road between Pottakuzhy and Kaloor has been repaired following the BM&BC method, the remaining five km stretch from Pottakuzhy to Edappally has been done using the 20mm carpet chipping method. The stretch between Desabhimani Junction to Punnakkal Junction and Keerthi Nagar Junction to Thanikkal Junction also have to be relaid.
"The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has taken up the task of repairing the BTS Road as part of the restoration works. KWA had dug up the road to lay pipelines," said works committee chairperson Soumini Jain. She also said that the corporation has not yet received any suggestion from Metro agencies on traffic diversion plans.
No comments:
Post a Comment