MG Road to get facelift

KOCHI: As part of its urban transport development plans, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) will undertake an urban rejuvenation package to revamp MG Road, which has been in very bad shape due to the ongoing Metro works, with the help of French urban planning experts.

A delegation from CODATU, a French non-profit knowledge provider agency and Lyon Urban Planning Agency are in the city for the last four days and have visited major city centres and prepared a design and road map for developing roads and streets.

Initially, KMRL will convene a meeting of shopowners along MG Road and other stakeholders of the city development within two weeks to discuss the proposal. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, KMRL managing director Elias George said that MG Road would be converted into a vibrant dynamic urban street cum shopping space.

“We’ve asked the French experts to provide an ideal plan for MG Road’s revamp and requested them not to consider the political or other constraints,” he said.

Addressing the media, officials of the French agencies said that MG Road would be developed into a quality public space with enough street furniture, pedestrian friendly facilities, trees and vegetation.

Some of the proposals to upgrade MG Road are Pedestrianisation of a 300 metre stretch in front of Maharajas College Stadium, pedestrian lane integrating the Metro Pillars, keeping an easy access to underground parking and inner courtyards, two way street on the left side of the Metro pillars, planting more trees and selecting a nice pattern for the pavement.
Patrice Berger and Julia Rudolph of the Lyon Transport Authority and the Lyon Urban Planning Agency respectively and Etienne Lhomet and Marion Hoyez of CODATU were at the press conference.