THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The work on smart roads in the city which was stalled for a while due to the monsoon is all set to resume in mid-August.As part of the preliminarywork, horizontal directional drilling (HDD) has begun. HDD is a method of laying underground pipelines, cables and service conduit through trenchless methods. It involves the use of a directional drilling machine, and attachments, to accurately drill along the chosen bore path and back ream the required pipe.
The Kerala Road Fund Board, which looks after the work on smart roads in the capital, has given top priority for the Althara-Thycaud stretch and it will be the first longest smart road in the city. Meanwhile, a decision on extending the term of the existing contractors of the Smart Road project will be taken next month.
A top official of KRFB told TNIE that the road digging was stopped due to rain. However, other works are still going on. “Only the road excavation works have been stopped. HDD works and other works including procurement of pipes and utilities are in progress. Normally, the road work is stopped from June 1 to August 16, which is the peak of monsoon. The work will be resumed by August 17. Similarly, the development of Althara-Thycaud stretch is important for us and it will be made the longest smart road in the city first. This will change the face of Althara-Vazhuthacaud-Thycaud stretch,” the official said.
The lagging work on the smart road had tarnished the image of the government and the city corporation. Since then, the corporation and ministers had openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the contractor.
According to Vinay Goyal, CEO Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd, the work will resume as the monsoon is becoming weak. “The preliminary work is on. The work on two to three stretches will begin in August. The Althara- Thycaud stretch will be developed first,” he said.
The smart road work under the Smart City Mission project started in February last year. But, there was little progress in the work due to pandemic, shortage of labourers and frequent rain.The plan is to upgrade 40km of road falling under the area-based development of the corporation. As part of the project, all overhead utilities will be laid underground. Special features of smart roads include dedicated cycle tracks, LED streetlights and footpaths.