THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Construction of smart roads, proposed as part of the Smart City Mission project and whose work was halted following the cancellation of an agreement with a contractor, is slated to resume next month. The Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) and the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL) are likely to open fresh tenders by the end of January. Officials are hopeful of assigning the work to a new contractor soon.
A top official of SCTL told TNIE that many bidders have expressed interest in participating in the tender process.“As more than 17 roads need to be developed into smart roads, a separate tender will be issued for each road. We expect to finish all the basic work by May, as our priority is to make these roads motorable first,” the official said. He also said for the Althara-Attakulangara stretch, the road digging will be done on one side at a time to avoid traffic congestion.
A meeting for the potential bidders will take place next week. The last contract was finalised in late 2021. However, the then contractor was unable to properly execute the work.He had also invited criticism from the public for the shoddy work. This forced KRFB to cancel the contract. The long delay in developing the roads in the state’s capital has tarnished the image of the government and the city corporation.
As part of the project, 40 kilometres of roads will be developed, sources at SCTL said. This includes the Vellayambalam-Attakulangara road, the Kalabhavan Mani road, the Statue-General Hospital Road, and the General Hospital-Holy Angels Convent Road. All overhead utilities on these stretches will be laid underground. Special features of the smart road also include dedicated cycle tracks, LED streetlights, and ample footpaths. The smart road work began in February 2021. But, its progress was hindered by several factors - Covid-19, labour shortage, and frequent rain in the region.