KOCHI: In six month’s time, Edappally junction, among the busiest in the state and notorious for snarl-ups, is set to see a major transformation in traffic flow. To facilitate the same, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is preparing to construct two flyovers-cum-underpasses either side of the junction on the NH 66 corridor.
The 650-metre-long flyovers, enabling 50-metre-wide underpasses, will come up a few hundred metres away from the existing flyover at Edappally. While one is planned near the Oberon Mall to the southern side of the junction, the other will come up near the entrance to the LuLu Mall on the northern side.
“The target is to complete the construction of the pair of flyovers and underpasses in six months. While the work on the structure near LuLu has made considerable progress, around 50%, that at the Oberon side has begun,” a senior NHAI official told TNIE.
It is impossible to construct a vehicle underpass or another flyover at Edappally junction as a flyover already exists there, besides the Kochi Metro viaduct, he added.
How traffic flow will be regulated
Once the flyovers are constructed, there will be no right turn for vehicles at Edappally junction. The traffic signal lights too will be removed to ensure a smooth flow of vehicles.
Vehicles coming from the Vyttila side and proceeding towards Aluva should move straight ahead and take at U-turn at the underpass near LuLu. They should then take the service road to move towards Aluva by taking a left turn. Similarly, vehicles coming from the Cheranalloor side and going to the city centre should take a U-turn using the underpass near Oberon mall. They should take the service road and then turn left.
Vehicles coming from the Kaloor side and going towards Vyttila should take a left turn at Edappally junction to enter the service road and then proceed through the underpass near LuLu.
Vehicles coming from the Kalamassery direction and proceeding towards Cheranalloor should turn left at the junction and proceed through the underpass near Oberon Mall.
“With flyovers having come up at Kundannoor, Vyttila and Palarivattom, the vehicle flow on the Aroor-Edappally stretch is undisrupted and reaches Edappally quickly. This has resulted in a long queue of vehicles at Edappally junction. The flyover-cum-underpass is the only solution and the free left turns to all directions at Edappally will ensure a smooth flow of traffic. The service roads on both sides will have a width of seven metres,” the official said.
60 % of Edappally-Moothakunnam NH 66 stretch completed
The flyovers and underpasses are part of the Rs 1,618-crore project to widen the Edappally-Moothakunnam stretch of NH 66 into a six-lane highway. The agency contracted has completed 60% of the work since the launch of the project in October 2022. The target for completion has now been revised to January 2026.
“The original completion date was April 21, 2025, with a construction period of 910 days. However, we faced an acute shortage of red soil. Now, we have been allocated a new soil extraction site and the work will be expedited,” the official added.
The 26.03km stretch from Edappally to Moothakunnam, in Kodungallur, is the first of the five reaches of the 164-km Edappally-Ramanattukara (Kozhikode) NH 66 section, where the road widening exercise has been taken up.