KOCHI: Commuters who wade daily through the traffic snarl-up on Banerji Road may soon have much to rejoice. Sastha Temple Road, which allowed them to slip past the bottleneck at Kaloor junction and rejoin the traffic stream closer to Edappally, will be thrown open to motorists in a few days.
The 500-m stretch was blocked for nearly two months for the reconstruction of a small bridge. “The structure is nearly 50 years old and had suffered extensive structure damage. So, it had to be redone,” said local councillor T K Ashraf.
Most of the structural work on the bridge has now been completed, and the stretch has already been made motorable, he highlighted. In fact, it was opened during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Kochi to accommodate the increased traffic flow.
“That said, there are some more minor works to be completed to further augment the section,” Ashraf said. The remaining work includes installing streetlights on the bridge and completing a new footpath to facilitate safer pedestrian movement.
“It is for these finishing touches that the work is taking another 2 to 3 days. Because if we do any work, we might as well do it right. Correct?”asked Ashraf.
Fittingly, the work also involves more than just the reconstruction of the bridge. The canal has also undergone a significant overhaul. “It has been cleaned and its sides strengthened. Also, the two lanes on its banks, which had seen serious illegal encroachments, have also been cleared,” Ashraf said.
The work, which had moved at a rather slow pace, had earlier drawn the irk of residents and daily commuters.