Kerala - Kochi   

Another week of traffic snarls

Photo: H Vibhu

Lost pace: Work in progress on the approach road to rail overbridge at Thripunithura.

KOCHI: Severe traffic hold-ups will continue in Thripunithura for another week, since the Railways will not be able to complete surfacing of the approach roads to the Thripunithura railway overbridge at least till Monday.

The work has been causing traffic jams in different parts of Thripunithura in the past fortnight.

A committee comprising the District Collector and people’s representatives had asked the Railways to complete the work within 15 days, starting January 1.

The work forced diversion of vehicles coming from the east towards Thripunithura, to the Kochi Refinery Road and the S.N. Junction and vice-versa. This has overcrowded the bridge at S.N. Junction.

Commuters have been taking more than an hour to travel just over a kilometre or two.

A traffic policeman said that congestion on the road to and from Pettah had increased over the past years as Pettah is the main entry point to the town. The iron bridge near Poornathrayeesa temple, the only other entry point, cannot take heavy traffic.

There are only 15 policemen, of which five to six are on various duties at the traffic police station, to manage the heavy traffic in the area. Five more policemen have been called for duty from the nearby Armed Reserve police camp to help divert traffic.

Renjini Suresh, Municipal chairperson of Thripunithura, said, “We are facing the flak for the traffic blocks. I had taken up the matter with the Collector. We were particular about keeping the time schedule since blocking the main route badly affects people’s routine.”

Railway sources said that reinforcing work on the road would begin soon and was likely to be over by Monday. Tarring will be done later.

Junctions like Kizhakkekotta and Statue and many roads will have to be widened, parking restricted and new exits developed, for a lasting solution to traffic hold-ups in Thripunithura.

The Thripunithura bypass (connecting Kundanoor and Mattakuzhi) in the Kochi-Madurai national highway, has been hanging fire for years.

Sources said that land acquisition is on from Thiruvankulam to Mattakuzhi. The tougher job will be to take over land between Thiruvankulam and Kundanoor.

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