KOCHI: Much to the delight of motorists, the construction of the byroad on Banerji Road in front of PVS Hospital has reached its final stage. The Public Works Department (PWD) officials are planning to open the road in the first week of June.
“We are planning to complete the work before monsoon. The ongoing works, including the construction of retaining walls, are almost complete. Once the tiles are paved, the stretch will be opened for traffic,” said MT Shabu, executive engineer, PWD roads division, Ernakulam.
The culvert nearby was in a bad shape during the Kochi Metro construction with dislocated tiles. Though many have pointed out the poor quality of tiles used for the construction as the major cause for the incessant sinking of the road, officials have quashed the charges.
“It’s not the issue of quality of tiles. The existing tiles were dislocated due to the issues in paving them. There is no point in concreting the entire stretch as it may cracks in future. Moreover, a concrete road will take a minimum of 21 days to allow vehicular movement after its construction. It is not possible on a busy stretch like Banerji Road,” said Shabu.
Pedestrians have reason to cheer about the new development. There will be a footpath in the byroad to accommodate them.