KOCHI: The traffic bottleneck at Chalakudy junction, on NH-544, will soon be a thing of the past as construction of the flyover has reached its final leg and is ready to be opened to traffic by June 15. A Kochi-based company, EKK Ltd, took over construction work after Guruvayur Infrastructure Ltd failed to execute the project on time.
According to EKK officials, black-topping work on the bridge has already started and construction of the sidewall is nearing completion. “Nearly 90% of the wall strengthening has been completed. The remaining 10% of work is progressing at a brisk pace. If we progress at this pace, we will be able to complete the entire work by mid-July,” said a company source.
Officials said the delay in shifting an overhead electric line forced them to push the deadline. “NHAI has submitted a proposal to the KSEB to move the line. However, this got delayed by a month, and forced us to slow down work,” said the source.
“Our plan was to complete work before the monsoon. We set a target of May 15. However, the quarry owners’ strike messed up our plan as we faced a shortage of construction materials. However, we hope to open the bridge to traffic by June 15,” the source added.
EKK faced several setbacks after it took up the work. Two panchayats issued stop memos that restricted the excavation of soil for the project. Pariyaram panchayat imposed a ban on heavy vehicles along the Peer Mozhi-Kottamala road, while Thrikkur panchayat issued a notice to the company for not consulting it before approaching the district administration for permission.