The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Baker Road retaining wall to be rebuilt

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Baker Road retaining wall to be rebuilt

Special Correspondent

Trida finalises plan; tests to determine earth-bearing power will be held this week

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA) has finalised plans to reconstruct the collapsed portion of a retaining wall bordering Baker Road at Palayam.

Trida Chairman C. Ajayakumar says the damaged stretch will be rebuilt with reinforced cement concrete.

The Centre for Continuing Education under the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, will carry out tests this week to analyse the earth-bearing power in the area to be reconstructed. Mr. Ajayakumar says ground tests conducted by the LBS Institute of Technology had indicated loose soil over a concrete belt base. “We propose to rebuild the damaged portion of the retaining wall over a length of 40 metres,” he says.

The reconstruction is expected to be tendered as soon as the centre submits the design.

Baker Road has been closed to traffic since August 25 when a portion of the retaining wall between VJT Hall and the Jacob’s junction collapsed. A whole section of the wall about 20 feet high gave in and crumbled onto the road below, bringing down a portion of the elevated carriageway along with the concrete railings and side drain.

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.

A preliminary inquiry conducted by Trida had showed that the collapse was caused by soil erosion and subsequent weakening of the elevated carriageway. The inquiry report said the basement of the road on the eastern side had sunk owing to the infiltration of water from a blocked culvert that was designed to carry stormwater from the Sanskrit college side. According to the report, there was nothing to indicate that flawed construction was responsible for the collapse.

Residents in the area fear that the remaining portion of the wall will collapse soon, endangering the neighbouring houses and lives of the occupants. Mr. Ajayakumar says the debris has been left untouched to prevent further collapse.

The narrow street below the elevated road is preferred as a shortcut by motorists to reach the RBI junction without touching the congested crossroads at Bakery junction. With the collapse of the wall, the street has become out of bounds for parking vehicles.

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