THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A portion of a retaining wall built as part of the under-construction Mukkola-Karode NH66 bypass at Punnakulam between Vizhinjam and Kanjiramkulam was damaged following heavy rain on Saturday. The binding between concrete blocks got loosened after water seeped into them.
Two concrete blocks fell down on the service road and residents fear the heavy concrete blocks kept for the retaining wall could fall on the passers-by on the service road.
This is the third time that the retaining wall has weakened at the same place following the rains. Incidentally, the 16.3-km concrete highway is likely to be commissioned in May. Only 1.2km construction work is pending, including the 500-metre stretch at Punnakulam. But the latest incident has put the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in a bind.
"Even after the repeated incidents, neither the NHAI nor the contractor (L&T) has come with a permanent solution. Earlier, they did some small rectification work. But it started collapsing after the heavy rain," said Sreedharan, a local resident.
“Each concrete square block kept for the retaining wall is huge in size. We fear an accident could be fatal. There is no safety for people here.The authorities should do something to find a permanent solution,” he said.
The retaining wall is around 15 metres high from the ground. Earlier, there was a suggestion that pillars should be erected rather than constructing the retaining wall on either side. This is because retaining wall poses a high risk compared to pillars as any small crack formed in the wall could result in a possible danger for motorists and local residents in the future.
For instance, there was a sewer pipe burst at the retaining wall constructed at Muttathara overpass between Enchakkal and Kovalam stretch of NH 66. It took a two months to rectify it. All this while, the traffic was diverted to avoid danger as the overpass could not handle the weight of heavy vehicles. The NHAI officials said retaining wall would be rectified and the issued would be resolved permanently once the concrete is laid for the road within a month.
"The rectification works of the retaining wall will start from Monday. The wall will be strengthened only after laying of concrete for the highway. Once the road work is completed, this issue will not be repeated. We can also ensure that all the safety parameters are followed properly," said P Pradeep, project director, NHAI. The construction work of the first concrete road in the state gained momentum only recently.