The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Road to get aesthetic look

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Road to get aesthetic look

Staff Reporter

Coloured tiles, landscaping for Kowdiar-Vellayambalam stretch

BEAUTIFICATION DRIVE: Tiling work in progress on the footpath along the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam road in the city on Thursday. Photo: S. Mahinsha

Thiruvananthapuram: The wide boulevard from Kowdiar Junction to Vellayambalam will soon wear a new look. The footpaths on both sides of the tree-lined avenue are being paved with coloured tiles under a beautification drive taken up as part of the City Roads Improvement Project.

Though the initial proposal was to use granite slabs for paving, the project managers later opted for coloured interlocking blocks to lend a more aesthetic look, in tune with the architectural heritage of the area. The polymer-coated blocks are being procured from Ernakulam.

The curved tiles are set in alternating red and black. According to the project engineers, the tiles offer easy maintenance and can be loosened and removed to access anything under the surface. "Being polymer-coated, they are less prone to wear and tear and capable of retaining colour. The rough finish also ensures a firm grip for pedestrians," says a project official.

The paving work is proceeding from the Kowdiar end towards Vellayambalam. The Vellayambalam - Museum road is proposed to be paved with granite slabs as per the original proposal. "If the Government insists, we may opt for tiles on this stretch also," an official said.

Under the project, the footpaths will be paved up to a width of two metres from the kerb. The rest of the footpath area is proposed to be landscaped with red and yellow palms and colourful flowering plants like the hibiscus. The medians on the middle of the stretch have already been planted with different colours of canna. Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Limited will maintain the greenery for the next 15 years under a contract with the Government.

Prepared by the Kerala Road Fund Board in consultation with the Department of Forests, horticulture experts and non-governmental organisations, the landscaping project involves plans for greening roadsides, footpaths, medians and traffic islands on the 12 road corridors being developed.

For footpaths, the consultants have recommended medium-height trees requiring limited area for spread of roots and overhead canopy. This is because trees with large root spread will damage the pavement and adjacent structures over a period of time. They have also proposed a row of shrubs and a strip of lawn on the space beyond the paved surface. Medians are to be greened with small shrubs to reduce the problem of headlight glare during night driving.

At traffic junctions and islands, the plan proposes small shrubs or grass. The space below the two proposed flyovers at Bakery Junction and the Power House - Thakarapparambu road will also be landscaped with lawns and shrubs.

The project managers have identified a list of local hardy species, including 67 flowering shrubs and ornamental foliage plants, easily available from local nurseries. In view of the bird-hit menace to aircraft, fruit-bearing trees have been avoided in the list of species selected for the airport area. Both sides of the Chacka - Airport road have been planted with tree saplings.

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