Kochi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) aims to complete work of the Pachalam Railway Overbridge (RoB) and throw it open for traffic by December first week even as local residents expressed concerns over its effectiveness in resolving traffic congestion in the region.
On Saturday night, the DMRC launched 27-metre long steel girders weighing 60 tonnes over the railway tracks.
“We aim to complete the remaining main work by November middle and do the finishing jobs in another two weeks,” said a DMRC official.
The Rs 52 crore project was started in March last and initially the target was to complete the work in six months. However, the protest by local residents who approached the court made the progress slow.
Construction of the Road Over Bridge was sanctioned by the railways in the year 1999-2000. However, the project could not be taken up till now since land acquisition was a major hurdle.
““The original RoB designed by Kitco had a width of 22-metres. The new one has only 7.5 metres after the provision for walkway. This bridge ends where is road width is just 3.5 metres and unless the roads are widened the traffic congestion problem only gets serious,” said G Krishna Kumar, Secretary, Udaya Residents Association.
A section of the people had moved the court claiming that the RoB design was changed during the actual construction. The court observation is expected to come next week.
The current level crossing at Pachalam is one of the busiest in the Shoranur Jn-Ernakulam section. On an average, 103 trains pass through the section while 4773 vehicles, excluding two wheelers, too negotiate the level crossing daily.
