THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The proposed flyover at Venjaramoodu to ease the traffic on the MC Road has inched closer to reality, with the State Cabinet approving the tender for the construction called by the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB). Sources close to KRFB said the construction is likely to begin within two months. The two-lane flyover will have a length of 446 metres and a service road on either side, each with a width of three metres.
The contract has been awarded to Ray Construction Limited. KRFB finalised the tender after floating it four times. In the final tender process, KRFB selected the contractor as the lowest bidder with `26.71 crore.
According to a top official of the Project Management Unit, KRFB, the work could be started in two months once the agreement with the contractor had been completed.
“Since we obtained approval from the state government, the proceedings have begun to get funds from KIIFB. Once the fund is released, we will sign the agreement with the contractor. It will take a month. So we expect the construction of the flyover to begin after two months,” the official said.
Unlike other flyover projects, this one does not require land acquisition and will be built on the existing road. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) is the funding agency for the project. The expected completion date for the flyover is 16 months.
The flyover is proposed from the congested stretch near the mosque to Leela Ravi Hospital. Once this flyover is operational, it will considerably cut the travel time of commuters from Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Idukki. Earlier, the state government had planned to construct a bypass road. However, it was dropped later, citing various technical reasons. A ring road planned at Venjaramoodu was also dropped owing to stiff opposition from local residents over land acquisition. The flyover at Venjaramoodu was mooted in 2018.
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