The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Trida seeks opinion on Baker Road

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Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Trida seeks opinion on Baker Road

Special Correspondent

Water seepage is main reason for collapse

Basement of the road on the eastern side had sunk
“Flyover on pillars would have been a better option”

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority has sought expert opinion from the LBS Institute of Science and Technology on the reconstruction of Palayam Baker Road which was damaged after a portion of the retaining wall collapsed last month.

A preliminary inquiry into the incident by Trida secretary Dileep Kumar had identified water seepage as the main reason for the collapse of the retaining wall. The report says that the basement of the road on the eastern side had sunk due to the infiltration of water from a blocked culvert that was designed to carry storm water from the Sanskrit College side.

“Apparently, LBS, the designers, failed to anticipate such an eventuality. Over a period of time, the water accumulating on the inlet side of the drain could have seeped into the basement, weakening it. The sheer weight of the structure caused it to crumble on to the road below, bringing down a portion of the elevated carriageway, along with the concrete railings and side drain,” he said.

Mr. Dileep Kumar said there was nothing to indicate that flawed construction was responsible for the incident. Local residents however maintain that the retaining wall was built by simply stacking granite blocks without providing adequate slope and without cementing.

“The design followed the internal stepping method approved by the soil experts consulted by LBS. Providing a slope for the retaining wall would have resulted in reduced width of the road below,” Mr. Dileep Kumar said. He admitted that a flyover built on pillars would have been a better option. “It would also have provided parking or commercial space below the carriageway,” he added.

LBS has been asked to assess the stability of the road and propose the method of reconstruction. “We will have to ensure that it does not suffer another collapse,” Mr. Dileep Kumar said.

The debris from the collapsed portion of the road and retaining wall is yet to be removed. Residents in the neighbourhood are afraid that the remaining portion of the wall would collapse soon.

Built by Trida at a cost of Rs.65 lakh, the road providing a bypass from Palayam to the Secretariat, was opened in November 2003. It is named after the former ward councillor Palayam Baker.

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