KOCHI: Just two years after its inauguration, the Kundanoor flyover’s retention wall has slanted and sunk two feet, causing significant concern. Despite authorities claiming that there is no need to worry, a soil test was conducted surreptitiously at the site.
The evident sinking of the approach road, retention wall, and flyover by two feet is undeniably alarming. The flyover was opened for traffic in 2021, along with the Vyttila flyover. While the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd (RBDCK) claims that the soil testing was carried out under the supervision of the PWD executive engineer (bridges), sources from the PWD suggest that the procedure might have been conducted by a consultancy appointed by the contractor.
“Whatever maybe the case, the very fact that they carried out the testing is the evidence that there is something wrong,” said Antony Ashanparambil, chairman, of the Maradu municipality. According to the chairman, the PWD is currently responsible for the maintenance of the flyover, and it is yet to be handed over to the NHAI.
He alleges that the retention wall, now slanting dangerously towards the road, was not constructed properly. “Proper piling work was not carried out and that is the reason why the 16 feet to 20 feet high wall is now slanting dangerously. The damage was detected on the Maradu side of the flyover,”Antony said. Elaborating on the situation, Antony explains that the entire area where the flyover is located was once paddy fields, and the land is marshy and unstable.
Consequently, the project implementing agency and the contractor should have conducted thorough soil testing before proceeding with the construction. “ When we asked those taking the soil samples near the bridge, we were told that the testing is being done as part of the construction of the six-lane highway,”Antony said.”But that’s absurd! The DPR for the project hasn’t even been submitted,” he added.
According to MLA K Babu, if the damage is not repaired at the earliest, it might lead to a big tragedy.
“If the thick retention wall falls onto the road, it will endanger the lives of the motorists. Also, the structure of the bridge will suffer serious damage and the approach road will be destroyed,” he said.
According to sources from the PWD, as the contractor assigned a consultancy to conduct the soil testing, the department is unaware of the test results or when the report will be delivered. “The problem with the bridge is relatively minor, and the testing might have been carried out to better understand the issue at hand,” said the PWD sources.