KOLLAM: The commuters along the National Highway will have to wait for yet another year for a smooth drive through the Mevaram – Kavanadu bypass, avoiding the traffic snarls in the Kollam city. The construction work of the bypass has been indefinitely delayed due to the scarcity of construction materials and soil to fill the land. The Central Minister for National Highways Pon Radhakrishnan had announced that the construction would be completed only by August 2018 as against the State Government’s announcement to complete it by January.
However the scarcity of building materials has affected the works which is only 61 per cent complete as of now. The 13.5 kilometers stretch from Mevaram to Kavanadu on the National Highway has an estimated budget of Rs. 267 cr. As per the project, the road from Kavanadu to Kallumthazham spanning across 8.30 kilometers will be newly built while the existing 4.30 kilometers from Mevaram to Kallumthazham will be widened to get the new bypass. The construction of two bridges out of a total three bridges along the Kallumthazham – Kavanadu stretch is still underway. The works to fill the soil to increase the height of the road to connect it to the bridges are underway.
The longest bridge at Kavanadu has piers installed above the pillars. Of the total 92 beams, only 42 have been installed and the construction works of slabs to be paved on top of these beams are also mid-way. Along the Mevaram – Kallumthazham stretch, road construction over 4.5 kilometers in a width of 7 meters has already been completed.This road is undergoing widening with an extension of 1.5 meters each on either sides parallel to the other construction works. The preliminary stone paving works along the 5.9 kilometers long Kallumthazham – Altharamoodu stretch has been completed with another layer of metal paving left behind.
