THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The construction of the flyover at Enchakkal on NH-66 bypass is likely to be delayed as the regional office of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is yet to submit to its headquarters the estimate prepared as part of a detailed project report (DPR). The tender for the project can be floated only after the approval is received, said an NHAI official. With the area witnessing acute traffic congestion, a flyover at Enchakkal junction has been a long-standing demand.
“The traffic congestion, especially during peak hours, leads to a long queue of vehicles. The arrangement with traffic police personnel and signals can’t go on forever. Also, long-distance vehicles waiting at the junction on a national highway for long is unacceptable,” said Renjith Chandran, a techie who travels daily on the route from Kovalam to Kazhakootam.
In February, Transport Minister Antony Raju had called on Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi after getting in-principle approval for the project. Subsequently, the Union minister had directed NHAI to prepare the DPR in three months.
Meanwhile, a senior NHAI official said they will find a solution at the earliest, with the work on DPR preparation progressing.“We have prepared an estimate for the project which will be included in the DPR. It will soon be submitted to the headquarters for approval. Once the proposal including the design gets approval, we will go ahead with floating tenders. The whole process will take at least two months.
opefully, the preliminary work can be started within three months,” said P Pradeep, project director, NHAI. The work on the Rs 200-crore project is expected to begin this year itself. The Enchakkal flyover is envisaged to facilitate the smooth entry of vehicles from Kovalam, Shankhumukham and Vizhinjam to the city, besides easing the congestion at the junction. Located on the busy Kazhakootam-Mukkola national highway stretch, the junction has roads from East Fort, Vallakadavu, Attakulangara and Pettah-Enchakkal converging.
Earlier, the NHAI had proposed an underpass there but the plan was scrapped after traders opposed it. Since the Chackai flyover was opened to the public, the traffic congestion at Enchakkal has become a cause for concern to commuters. The congestion primarily happens on the service road from Chackai to Kovalam, where vehicles remain stuck for 10 to 15 minutes. That affects the movement of vehicles on other roads too. The local residents and traders have welcomed the decision to construct a flyover.