THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: So, finally some news for Trivians to cheer. The construction of the much-awaited new service bridge at Thiruvallam is likely to start by May, after being in the limbo for nearly two years. The tender for the construction of the project, a part of NH-66 development, is likely to be called next week.
“The tender will be called next week. We expect to finalise the contractor in March. Once the proceedings are over, the work can be started by May. The DPR (detailed project report) has been approved by the NHAI headquarters. We are working on it to ensure tender proceedings are completed in this fiscal,” said NHAI project director P Pradeep.
The new bridge, having a width of 12m, will be built parallel to the existing old bridge (on its eastern side) at an estimated cost of Rs 9 crore. NHAI had proposed building a new service bridge at Thiruvallam to curb the frequent accidents reported in the area due to the violations of the one-way rule by vehicles, including buses and trucks, near Thiruvallam Parasurama temple.
Earlier, the NHAI HQ in New Delhi office had directed the regional office to rework the DPR in a way that avoids toll revenue leakage. It said the new service bridge should be redesigned so that people pay toll after using the bridge.
The toll plaza is located around 200m from Thiruvallam junction, towards Kovalam. Based on the direction, NHAI reworked the DPR and redesigned it. As per the plan, the new service bridge will be just for motorists coming from Ambalathara to Thiruvallam and Pachalloor. The old bridge will be the main carriageway of the NH bypass.
Last year, Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas had visited the spot and urged the NHAI to construct a new bridge on a war footing. Thiruvallam junction is one of the busiest junctions in Thiruvananthapuram, with vehicles travelling towards Kovalam, Pachalloor and East Fort or Ambalathara passing through here. As per statistics available with the police, over 40 accidents occurred on the old bridge in the past three years, as motorists from Pachalloor and Kovalam use the old bridge to enter Ambalathara, instead of taking a U-turn at the Kumarichantha signal as per the traffic rules. This violation of one-way rule often results in the vehicles colliding with people driving from Kumarichantha.
The construction of a new service road will help motorists from Ambalathara side reach Thiruvallam junction without entering the old bridge.