KOCHI: Imagine a city road with LED lights, medians, cycle tracks, walkways for pedestrians and tactile facilities for vision-impaired people. As ambitious as it may sound, smart roads like these may soon be a reality for Kochiites. With Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) expediting the ‘Smart Road’ project, six stretches in the city will soon get a facelift. While the work is nearing completion on the Abraham Madamakkal Road (from Chathiyath road to High Court Junction), drain-laying work has already begun at Shanmugham Road and DH Road.
According to a CSML spokesperson, the work has resumed after the lockdown. “The makeover of Abraham Madamakkal Road is in the final stage while drain work is progressing on other stretches. Road formation works are also ongoing on all three stretches. CSML included these roads under the project after considering the suggestions put forth by the corporation,” she said.Six main roads in the city will be renovated under the project. These are: Abraham Madamakkal Road (1.11 km), Banerjee Road(0.91 km), Shanmugham Road (.809 km), Park Avenue Road (1.47 km), DH Road (0.50 km) and South Railway Station Road (5.41 km). The total length of the roads that will be renovated is 5.41 km and the overall cost is ` 61.53 crore.
Over and under
The highlight of the Smart Road is the underground utility duct. “Cables for all the utility services (KSEB, BSNL, KWA) can be laid through the duct. This will avoid digging up of roads for laying pipelines or cables in the future,” says Jafar Malik, CEO, CSML. Besides the utility duct, the Smart Road will also have proper drains and a hi-tech LED lighting system. “LED poles will be erected at different locations and will be controlled by the command centre.
The poles and lights can be adjusted as per requirement. Dysfunctional lights can be monitored from the control centre, enabling prompt repair,” said the spokesperson. The system will also be safe as the ‘arial-brunched cabling’ will reduce the chances of electric shockes,” added the official. Besides these, the Smart Roads will also be beautified with plants on its sides.
There will also be marked bus bays,cycle track and walkway for pedestrians. “Designated cycle tracks are being planned based on the width of the road. This is to encourage citizens to switch to a greener mode of transport,” said Jafar Malik. CSML will also maintain these roads for the next three years. Improvement of junctions that fall along the stretch also falls under the venture.
a ‘road’ model
On the smart path
Abraham Madamakkal Road (1.11 km)
Banerjee Road (0.91 km)
Shanmugham Road (0.89 km)
Park Avenue Road (1.47 km)
DH Road (0.50 km)
South Railway Station Road (5.41 km)
Facilities
Utility duct
Zebra crossings
Signage
Bus bays, walkways and cycle track
LED lights
Medians
Plants for beautification
Tactile facilities for visually challenged
Junction improvements
Benches, toilets and barriers
Tabletop at Chittoor junction
For reducing the speed of moving traffic in busy junctions, the height of the road will be increased by laying customised tiles different the existing one. This process, called Tabletop (speed table in the west), helps reduce speed of vehicles. They are used in pedestrian crossing areas to make them safer too. One such tabletop is proposed at Chittoor junction