2 hours Ago By Express News Service
KOCHI: The closure of Kundannoor-Thevara and Alexander Parambithara bridges along the NH 966B section -- stretching from Kundannoor Junction to CIFT Junction in Willingdon Island -- has resulted in the city traffic going haywire, making life difficult for daily commuters and office goers. The busy Vyttila Junction, which was already witnessing slow traffic during peak hours, has now become literally clogged during the morning and evening rush hours, as is the case with western suburbs like Thoppumpady and Vathuruthy, where the proposal for constructing a Rail Overbridge (RoB) has been pending for several years. The same has resulted in a rising demand for drastic measures like decongesting Vyttila Junction by shifting the bus stop and deploying police personnel to control the traffic, besides making alternative roads motorable.
“With the traffic being diverted following the bridge closure, vehicles now move at a snail’s pace along the stretch near Vyttila, making it difficult for frequent flyers,” said Alappuzha resident Koshy P Jacob, a businessman who flies out regularly to Mumbai for his textile business requirements. The halting of private buses in a haphazard manner near the flyover (towards the western side) worsens the situation further. “There is heavy traffic all through the Sahodaran Ayyappan Road.
They should deploy traffic police personnel at the junction and areas nearby to ensure a smooth flow of vehicles,” he said. Meanwhile, Maradu municipality chairperson Antony Ashanparambil said most of the alternative routes are closed for traffic, which has aggravated the issue. “All the key interior routes like the Chilavannoor Bund Road, Kochu Kadavanthra-Thevara road and the Panampilly Nagar-Thevara road are currently closed to facilitate bridge construction and civil works.
The authorities should have first completed these works before closing the Kundannoor-Thevara bridge for one month. Traffic woes have intensified with the commuters unable to take alternative routes,” Ashanparambil pointed out. The work on these alternative routes be speeded up, he demanded.
With roads getting congested, West Kochi residents are now increasingly depending on the Ro-Ro services connecting Fort Kochi with Vypeen and then reaching the city destinations via the Goshree bridges. But the heavy rush has resulted in serpentine queues of commuters during peak hours. “People are forced to wait for one and a half hours to finally get on the Ro-Ro vessel with their two-wheelers.
The bridge closure has resulted in traffic snarl-ups at Thoppumpady, especially through the old harbour and BOT bridges,” said Haris Aboo, a Fort Kochi-based social activist. He added that West Kochi residents have submitted a petition to the collector, seeking toll exemption at the Kumbalam plaza on NH66, similar to that extended to Maradu residents. The Kundannoor-Thevara and Alexander Parambithara bridges -- part of a key route connecting West Kochi with eastern suburbs like Tripunithura and Kakkanad -- are slated to remain closed till November 15 to facilitate the resurfacing of the entire 5.
9 km stretch from Kundannoor to CIFT Junction. Vehicles are currently being rerouted either through the MG Road-Vyttilla and the Thoppumpady-Aroor-Kumbalam routes..
