THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting an end to uncertainties, the refurbished Manaveeyam road, the cultural corridor in the state capital, will be opened to the public by August 10. According to Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL), only road tarring and footpath laying are pending.
If the weather permits, the tarring of the work will start this week while the cobblestones to lay the footpath will be brought here soon. The streetlights specially designed for the corridor have already been installed.
“The work at Manaveeyam Road is going at a fast pace. Though the rain delayed the work for some time, it has picked up pace. The tarring of road and footpath laying are the major pending works now. That will take only a month if there is no heavy rain. So we expect to open the road by August 10. Similarly, the work on Kalabhavan Mani Road is expected to be completed by the end of August,” a top SCTL official said.
The stretch had turned into a dumping ground for construction materials since its work began two years ago. Several spots on the stretch were also dug up. Though the corridor was scheduled to be opened by March 31, the work was delayed due to the redesigning of the stretch. As per the new design, the bollards proposed at various parts of the road to limit vehicular traffic will not be installed.
The new design will be both pedestrian-friendly and allow partial traffic. It will also have open spaces for conducting cultural events. Earlier, there was a plan to build a stage for cultural performances but it was scrapped due to the escalation of costs.
However, there will be seating areas, street food outlets, merchandise shops, water kiosks, and a street library. The makeover of the street is being done at a cost of Rs 3 crore.
Third re-tender for Althara-Attakulangara road
With the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the executing agency of the project, deciding to re-tender the project again, the facelift of the Althara-Attakulangara road will be delayed further. Last month, the KRFB opened the tender, and only one company, Sree Dhanya Constructions Limited, participated in the process.
However, their quoted amount is 40 per cent higher than the bid amount. Therefore, the decision was left to the state government. Sources said the state government is going ahead with the re-tendering of the project again. SCTL has also decided to redesign the project from a white-topped road to a black-topped one as part of cost-cutting measures.
The onset of the monsoon season poses an additional challenge for starting the construction work, even if the government approves the project. The original deadline for completing the Althara-Attakulangara stretch, the longest smart road in the project, was in June. However, the contractor failed to meet the deadline, leading to the cancellation of the first contract by KRFB.