Potholed paths to progress

KOCHI: All the controversies regarding land acquisition for widening the National Highways in the state spin around the insistence of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Union Government that at least 45 metres should be acquired for the purpose. But the pathetic condition of service roads of NH maintained by the same authority along Palarivattom, Edappally, Kundannoor and Vyttila stretches points to the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities.
Vehicles parked on potholed roads prevent smooth flow of traffic along these roads. Motorcyclists and pedestrians suffer the worst. Pedestrians travelling along the NH have no other option but to use service roads. But the authorities are yet to start the repair work of these roads. “On the Aroor-Vyttila stretch, work of service roads has almost been completed. We will carry out the repair work at Palarivattom, Edappally and Vyttila in the next phase,” said C P Mathew, project director, NHAI.
The work of service roads from the Tamil Nadu border up to Edappally is being carried out by NHAI under the BOT scheme, he said.
Even while the authorities say that the work of service road on the Vyttila-Aroor stretch is over, they admit that the work of the service road at Kundannoor where it is most needed is yet to be completed.
Despite many requests and agitations by the people, the authorities are yet to start the work.
All that they say is ‘the work will start soon’.
The Ernakulam District Resident’s Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC) general secretary A Ajith Kumar said that residents had raised several agitations to highlight the pathetic condition of service roads running parallel to the National Highway in the city.
“We have raised the issue many times before the authorities concerned. Though they have promised to do the required maintenance work, nothing has been done so far. We are planning to launch a series of agitations in front of the office of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) demanding the repair of the service roads,’ he said.
He said service roads are a vital channel for residents to travel safely from Vyttila to Edappally.
“It will be useful for pedestrians and twowheeler riders to safely travel short distances.
The authorities must take immediate steps to repair service roads,” he said.
Vyttila
The busiest junction
Traffic on the NH at Vyttila is one of the heaviest in the state. If the service roads on either side of the Vyttila-Palarivattom stretch of the NH are repaired, those who are using too many by-roads in these areas can travel without much difficulty. The service road in Vyttila would have been useful for commuters coming from the city to go to Eroor and Tripunithura. Vehicles from the Thammanam area can take the service road in Vyttila via the underpass at Ponnurunni to go to Vyttila. Enjoying the free-left facility, such vehicles can avoid getting entangled in traffic bottlenecks. Vehicles coming towards Eroor will be to able to travel smoothly if the service road in the area is maintained properly.
Kundannoor Junction
Corridor of uncertainty
The expansion of the NH 47 has turned the Kundannoor Junction into a corridor of uncertainty for motorists. Though the stretch between Vyttila and Kundannoor has been tarred with proper lane markings, traffic comes to a standstill at Kundannoor with the finishing work on the twin-bridges getting delayed.
Currently, only one of the bridges, depending on which of them is under construction, is being used to carry heavy traffic on the route. The work on the underpass for vehicles going to hotel Le Meridien is only halfway through. In the event, these vehicles have to cut across the heavy traffic. Another headache is the mouth of the NH 49 in the Tripunithura direction, which is narrow in comparison to the NH 49 A, leading up to Thoppumpady. The passage for vehicles that need to turn left from Vyttila has not been demarcated properly causing confusion.
Edappally-Palarivattom
Improper use of service roads
Designed to ease traffic bottlenecks, service roads running parallel to NH 47 on the Edappally-Palarivattom stretch are in a pathetic condition. According to the National Highway rules, intersections from service roads to the highway must be kept at a minimum distance of 4 km; instead many slots are opened at every km, causing problems on the highway. “We have made efforts to bring down problems caused due to the improper use of service roads,” said Edappally Traffic Circle Inspector K R Venugopal. “We even closed some openings and appointed Traffic Wardens to regulate the sudden ‘U’ turns and the vertical crossing of vehicles from service roads to the highway.”
Missing footpath at Palarivattom
Pedestrians at a loss
Pedestrians are at the receiving end due to the bad state of service roads as the National Highway does not have footpaths. Pedestrians are using the side roads for the purpose. The poor maintenance of service roads is causing untold hardships to them. Waterlogging, coupled with potholes, makes the journey through these roads a difficult task. After dusk the potholes can be very tricky leading to many accidents. “Travelling through the service road near Palarivattam is a harrowing experience. Cars and other vehicles passing on the road splash murky water from the potholes on passersby,’’ says Manoj, a resident of Vennala. It is very difficult for people, especially the old, to walk on the uneven roads. The dilapidated roads provide hardly any space for people to step aside while the vehicles pass by, he said.
Undoing the good work
They were very fast in completing the surfacing of the road using state-of-the-art technology.
But now the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is out to undo the good work at Kundannoor Junction to paved way for an underpass there, thanks to poor coordination and planning.
Lots of effort, money and time could have been saved if the authorities had planned the underpass before starting the surfacing of the road in the area. While digging up the road, which had been constructed following the Indian Road Congress (IRC) stipulations at a cost of around Rs 15 crore a km, lakhs of rupees will be wasted. The surfacing has been done with a thickness of 10 cm. Moreover, passengers will have to face inconveniences due to traffic regulations once again.
Being the converging point of the national highways like NH 49 A, NH 49 and NH 47, Kundannoor is turning into one of the busiest junctions in the state. “It was after considering the heavy traffic in the area that we decided to construct an underpass at Kundannoor. But the plan for constructing the underpass came only after the surfacing of the road had been completed,’’ said CP Abraham, project director, NHAI.
There were plans to construct underpasses at many junctions including Thykkodam, Nettoor and Kannadikkadu.
But only the projects of Thykkoodam and Nettoor have materialised. 
kochi@expressbuzz.com