Kochiites will have the new North Railway Over-Bridge (ROB) within a year, officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have said.
After successfully reconstructing the side bays, DMRC has started the demolition work of the old North ROB on Thursday. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) project director P Sreeram told ‘City Express’ that the dismantling work of the old bridge will be completed by February. He added that though the deadline for completing the work is one year, DMRC is confident of finishing it much before it.
“We believe that the construction works of the bridge can be finished within 10 months. Now, we have started removing bitumen from the surface of the bridge with a JCB. Besides, the footpath slabs on either side of the bridge will also be removed. Overall, the total work will be completed by December this year” he said. Sreeram said that in the second step, after dividing the bridge into several parts, each part will be removed separately. This will be done with the help of huge cranes. The via duct of Kochi Metro Rail will also be constructed through the middle of the bridge,” he said.
Sreeram added that the removal work will be carried out during night. “The time for demolition the portion above the Railway track will be finalised after getting the nod from the Railway officials. The work will be carried out when there are no train services,” he added.
Mayor Tony Chammany, District Collector P I Sheikh Pareeth and Traffic Assistant Commissioner Baby Vinod were present on the occasion. Before commencing the demolition work, a special pooja was performed.