Work on twin flyovers to begin in October.

Work on the Vyttila and Kundannoor flyovers will begin by October, if everything goes according to the plans chalked out by the Public Works Department (NH wing) and the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK), the agencies that will build them.

The two six-lane structures would be ready in 18 months, by April 2019, if they adhered to the deadline, sources in both the agencies said. The decision to entrust work on Kundannoor flyover to the RBDCK was a recent one.

Speaking about the twin flyover projects on Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass, Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran said the PWD submitted their detailed project reports (DPR) two months ago to the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

“The executive committee of KIIFB cleared funding (estimated at ₹95 crore) for the flyover at Vyttila. Its upcoming Board meeting chaired by the Chief Minister is expected to give the final approval for the project,” he said.

The agency’s next executive committee meeting is expected to approve funds needed for the Kundannoor flyover. The flyovers should ideally have been built by the NHAI which owns the stretch. But the Central agency will impose toll. Though the foundation stone was laid during the tenure of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government, funds were not allotted, said Mr. Sudhakaran.

Subsequent paperwork and delay in sanctioning of funds led to much uncertainty about the fate of the flyovers at two of the busiest and most congested junctions in Kerala. Serpentine queues of vehicles are the norm at the junctions, while crossing the road there is a nightmare for pedestrians.

A high-ranking PWD official attributed the delay in getting funds for Kundannoor flyover to the fact that a different agency, the RBDCK, has been entrusted with the work. “If all goes well, tenders for Vyttila flyover can be invited in the first week of August and work can begin in October. Both the junctions need six-lane flyovers, considering that over 1 lakh passenger car units (PCUs) use them every day.”

“It will be interesting to observe the progress of work on the two flyovers whose construction is set to begin simultaneously,” said a senior RBDCK official. “There will hopefully be healthy competition between the two government agencies to adhere to the 18-month deadline,” he said.

The RBDCK has made slight modifications to the DPR readied by the PWD for the Kundannoor flyover.

THE HINDU