Four-lane flyover found feasible at Kathrikadavu in Kochi
The Hindu
Additional land acquisition not needed to build structureat the busy junction
There is no need to acquire additional land to build a four-lane flyover at Kathrikadavu Junction on Thammanam-Pullepady Road, what with plenty of innovative solutions available, it has emerged.
The Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), Public Works Department (PWD), and other agencies which are associated with the proposed development of the road into a four-lane stretch with a width of 22 metres and its extension to M.G. Road and the NH Bypass, had expressed scepticism about realising the flyover at the junction, citing the need to acquire an additional 10 metres of land on either side of the junction to build service roads beside the flyover.
Former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief engineer G. Keshava Chandran, who oversaw the Kochi metro work and subsequently the reconstruction of the Palarivattom flyover, said a four-lane bridge and service roads could easily be accommodated within the 22-metre space. “A four-lane flyover built as per NH standards will need a total of 15 metres of width, 14 metres for the carriageway and a metre for the kerb on either side. This leaves seven metres of open space on either side of the flyover. Service roads measuring 3.5 metres each can be built on either side to ensure smooth flow of vehicles at the ground level,” he said.