Concern over ‘delay’ in completing renovation of Container Road in Kochi

Residents decry NHAI's delay in renovating Container Road, causing safety hazards and inconvenience to road users.

Residents of Mulavukad and nearby areas have decried the “inordinate delay” on the part of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in completing the renovation of the 17-km Container Road (NH 966A) and its service roads under a ₹129.50-crore project.

Little work has been done, even though the stretch from Bolgatty to the NHAI toll booth has been closed to traffic for the past four months. This has forced vehicles, including lorries coming from Kalamassery, to pay the mandatory toll and then navigate the narrow service road, said Abhijith K. John, coordinator of the Container Road Vehicle Travellers’ Association.

This, in turn, was endangering the lives of pedestrians, bicyclists, two-wheeler riders, and even drivers of smaller vehicles. The delay in installing street lights on Container Road and its service roads had exacerbated the situation. The MP, MLA, and other representatives had not protested against the agency’s “inaction,” despite the suffering faced by road users. Moreover, neither the NHAI nor the panchayats responsible for the road had taken action against the rampant illegal parking of container lorries in the corridor, he added.

The travellers’ association and other NGOs had, over the years, been demanding that the NHAI install streetlights along the corridor and its service roads throughout its 16-km length. Over the past decade, dozens of two-wheeler riders and others had died in accidents on the poorly lit stretch, primarily due to the absence of streetlights, haphazardly parked container lorries, and a lack of reflectors on them. The illegal and unsafe parking had continued despite orders issued to enforcement agencies by the Kerala High Court.

Responding to the concerns raised by NGOs and travellers, NHAI officials said that the restoration of bridges on the stretch was nearing completion. “Subsequently, we have begun the work to resurface the road,” they added.

This is the first major renovation of the corridor, which was commissioned in 2015 to provide direct connectivity from Kalamassery on the Angamaly-Edappally NH 544 to the Vallarpadam Container Transshipment Terminal. As per the plan, service roads totalling 10.40 km will also be renovated, it is learnt.

Container Road has a total of 11 major bridges, one minor bridge, a bridge built by the Goshree Islands Development Authority, and 35 culverts. Motorists frequently complained about the approach roads to many of the bridges and culverts sinking.