KOCHI: The State government has decided to start construction of the Vyttila flyover on December 11, as against the earlier announced date of November 25. Works will begin only after the formal inauguration by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on December 11. Though it was earlier announced that works will begin on November 25, even the preparatory works could not be started on Saturday due to uncertainties over traffic diversion.
City traffic police authorities have chalked a tentative plan for traffic diversion to facilitate flyover construction. However, there are serious apprehensions over the feasibility of the traffic diversion plans. With the beginning of Sabarimala pilgrim season, hundreds of vehicles including buses from other districts and states use the Vyttila - Tripunithura road every day. A well-planned diversion plan has to be implemented unless which there will be utter chaos.
"Flyover construction should begin only after finishing the repairing and development of alternative roads. Otherwise traffic along the already choked Tripunithura road will come to a standstill. It is not feasible to divert vehicles through Seaport-Airport Road as it is already congested. Like the preparatory works of Kochi Metro when 23 interior roads in the city were developed by DMRC, the government should entrust the work to an agency. Most of the parallel roads near Vyttila are in bad condition," said Raju P Nair, Ernakulam DCC general secretary who hails from Tripunithura.
Meanwhile, residents of Kakkanad are apprehensive over the plans to divert vehicles including big trucks through Seaport - Airport Road as the recently implemented traffic reforms in the areas has resulted in regular traffic congestion. The district administration and the traffic police authorities have earlier announced that traffic diversion will be implemented in a phased manner after reviewing the possibility of each plan.
