KOCHI: Traffic congestion in the Aluva region worsened on Thursday as the closure of the old Marthanda Varma Bridge on the national highway for strengthening works entered its second day. Vehicles remained stuck for long periods on the NH and adjoining roads. According to Sreelatha Vinodkumar, former councillor, commuters complained that a five-minute journey was taking up to 20 minutes. “Traffic is being managed by allowing vehicles to move in both directions through the bridge built parallel to the Marthanda Varma Bridge,” she said.
The disruption has also affected schoolchildren. Students commuting by school buses from across the bridge were dropped off on the opposite side on Thursday and had to walk across to reach their destinations, she said.
Saiji Jolly, chairperson of Aluva municipality, said the traffic police were trying out various systems to regulate vehicle movement and ease congestion. “The Superintendent of Police has called a meeting on Friday, after which there will be a clearer picture of the changes needed to prevent traffic snarls,” she said.
The closure of the bridges has also choked the byroads designated as alternative routes, said Shaju V, a commuter. “When heavy vehicles avoided the NH and took alternative routes, the Thottumugham area on the Aluva–Munnar road was also choked with traffic. Major roads in Chowara, Kadungalloor and Pathalam also witnessed severe congestion,” he said. Meanwhile, repair work has begun on the Desom Bridge, where traffic is being allowed through a single lane. “Soon, traffic congestion will worsen further,” Shaju said.
By Wednesday afternoon, workers had completely removed the old concrete mixture connecting the three arches of the Marthanda Varma Bridge using drilling machines, an Aluva municipality official said. Concrete was chipped away at four points — two near the banks and two on the bridge itself — as part of the repair of the four expansion joints between the bridge spans.
Rails will be laid across the sections where the concrete was removed and welded together. The sections will then be concreted using a mixture of cement and steel reinforcement rods. Engineering officials hope to complete concreting at all four points by early Friday morning, allowing three days for curing and setting before the bridge is reopened on Monday, the official said.
Work on the Desom Bridge is also progressing, and it is expected to reopen to traffic by Tuesday. Although the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had initially announced that the bridges would remain closed until November 8, favourable weather has helped speed up the work, officials said.
