KOCHI: The road from Vyttila towards Kaniyampuzha once offered people travelling from Kadavanthra easy access to the Mobility Hub. Though the road still exists, it is perpetually under repair — dug up, filled with potholes or waterlogged — and closed.
As a result, people travelling from the Kadavanthra or Elamkulam side towards the Hub have to head towards the new entrance of the hub at its southern end. Those travelling to the Metro station will also have to take the long detour. Another choice they have is the free left from Sahodaran Ayyappan Road towards the underpass and then take a U-turn at the Ponnurunni bridge.
But taking a free-left on the narrow road may seem impossible during peak traffic hours. The road towards Kaniyampuzha has been closed for months and frequent repair work have halved its width, adding to the traffic and blocking the north-side entrance to Vyttila Metro station. There are no guards or police to regulate vehicles here either.
Opening up the road would help people from Kadavanthra and Tripunithura, said Prince Peter, owner of Peter’s Residency on the Hub Road. The space under the pillars of the flyover are consuming a lot of space, he said. “There are plots of land under the revenue department lying vacant on the left side of this road towards Vyttila junction. Either this could be widened to ease the traffic or converted into a parking space,” he said. He added that the shop owners are ready to give space for the widening of the road, as the never-ending works are affectting their businesses badly.