The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Metro rail: proposal to widen roads submitted

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Wednesday, Dec 09, 2009
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Metro rail: proposal to widen roads submitted

John L. Paul

Seven corridors have to be expanded urgently

KOCHI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has submitted a detailed plan and estimate to the State government, stating its willingness to widen three major roads in the city and also the Ernakulam North overbridge.

The four stretches were among the seven corridors that would have to be widened urgently so that work on the pillars of the proposed Kochi metro-rail project could start. Thus, Banerjee Road and the North overbridge would have to be widened into four-lane stretches.

The approach road to the Ernakulam Junction railway station and the Salim Rajan Road too would have to be widened, so that traffic flow is least affected when the pillar construction begins. A road overbridge would have to be built on the Salim Rajan Road that would cross the railway track and the KSRTC bus stand and reach Rajaji Road.

Earlier, N.S. Sreenivasan, an independent traffic consultant and chairman of the ‘Transport Advisory Forum’ had included the four projects in the list of seven corridors that have to be widened in the city. The other ones are the MG Road, the SA Road and the Vytilla-Thripunithura Road, which would have to be widened to four-lanes.

The South overbridge would remain untouched since the metro-rail alignment passes through its northern side.

Widening the six roads and the overbridge are inevitable since each metro-rail pillar would be 1.2 metres wide. Each pillar would be secured by a 40-cm wide fender on both sides of the road. Thus, each pillar would occupy 2 metres of space on the centre of the road. The DMRC would barricade a 6-metres space around each pillar for around three months when work is on.

New look for city

An official of the agency expressed the confidence that land acquisition and widening of the four corridors that it has proposed, can be completed in less than a year. “The metro-rail project would thus bring a new look to the city by simultaneously widening narrow stretches.”

The toughest challenge would be to widen the North overbridge, since the Pullepady overbridge is yet to be commissioned. “Our plan is to first dismantle the two/three wheeler bays on either side of the bridge, so that two-wheelers and autos can use the bridge’s main carriageway. Once the northern and southern ends of the new bridge are built, the carriageway would be pulled down and vehicles diverted through the newly-built portions. A foot overbridge would be built on one side,” the official said.

On its part, the National Highways Authority of India would have to build flyovers at least in Edappally and Vytilla, so that work on the metro-rail does not throw traffic flow out of gear at the two junctions.

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