THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With roads from Kovalam, East Fort, Kazhakoottam and Vallakadavu meeting at Enchakkal junction, it is of little surprise that the junction experiences heavy traffic congestion. Ever since the Chackai flyover was opened to the public, the traffic block has become a cause for concern to commuters. The congestion primarily happens on the service road from Chackai to Kovalam, where vehicles are stuck for 10 to 15 minutes. This affects the movement of vehicles on other roads.
According to the residents, the junction experiences heavy congestion in the morning hours and from 3pm to 8pm daily. On weekends, the traffic jam extends till 9.30pm. “The service road from Chackai to Kovalam gets congested as the vehicles from Shankhumukham, Trivandrum International Airport, Ananthapuri hospital, Chackai and Pettah use the same road. The service road doesn’t have enough width to handle the traffic. Though the waiting time to get the traffic signal is 106 seconds, only 20 seconds are allotted for the vehicles on the flyover and service roads towards Kovalam and East Fort,” said Ameer T, who runs a shop at Enchakkal.
“Vehicles on the service road won’t be able to cut into the Kovalam road as the vehicles on the flyover turn left towards East Fort leading to congestion,” he added.The residents complained that the width of the service road narrows as it touches Enchakkal junction. Ameer added that the congestion could be reduced if a free left signal can be brought in towards the East Fort direction from the service road.
Business is also getting affected during peak hours. “People aren’t able to park their vehicles. Many people have started avoiding the service road due to the congestion,” said Ameer.According to an official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the original proposal was to build the Chackai flyover till Muttathara and construct an underpass at Enchakkal junction so that people coming from the Kazhakoottam side could easily bypass the junction.
“However, the proposal was dropped due to the protests of residents and local politicians claiming that the proposed flyover would affect the business of shops in Enchakkal. Since four roads meet at the junction, the congestion is expected to increase drastically in the coming years,” he said. “The only solution to reduce the congestion is to connect the Chackai flyover and Muttathara overpass. Since the flyover was only opened recently, constructing another isn’t feasible. I’m planning to submit a detailed report to the NHAI after a case study on the traffic at the junction,” he added.