In a major step towards the completion of the much delayed Alappuzha bypass project, the installation of girders as part of the construction of a rail overbridge (ROB) at Malikamukku has begun.
The Alappuzha bypass project consists of two RoBs at Malikamukku and Kuthirapanthy.
Officials said that the first girder had been fixed at Malikamukku in the early hours of Monday in the presence of officials with the railway and National Highways Authority of India. Rest four girders will be installed in the coming days. For carrying out the work, the Railways has announced regulation of train services for two hours on the coastal route till January 30.
Earlier, the bypass project had come to a halt after a delay in getting permission from Railways to place girders above the railway track. After inspecting the girders brought for the construction of the RoBs, Railways recommended structural changes and denied permission for starting the work.
After several months of delay, necessary changes have been made in the girders as per the direction of the railway authorities. The authorities later conducted a second inspection of the girders and submitted a report to the Chief Bridge Engineer. The nod to place the girders was received earlier this month.
Officials said that necessary changes were being made on five girders of the second RoB at Kuthirapanthy. The girders will be provided to railway authorities for inspection after modifications, officials added.
Meanwhile, Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran has directed authorities to complete the bypass project by April 30.
The Alappuzha bypass project was first mooted four decades ago. However, it had remained on paper until the work got under way on April 10, 2015. The project, which was set to be completed in September 2017 got delayed on account of various reasons. The deadline was initially extended to May 28, 2018 and further to August 31, 2018.
Almost complete
According to officials, the majority of the project has been completed, but the bypass can only be opened to traffic after the completion of two RoBs.
The 6.8-km two-lane bypass road will link Kommady on the north and Kalarcode on the south and pass by the western side of National Highway 66.
The project is being implemented at a cost of ₹348.43 crore with equal shares borne by the Union and the State governments. Once completed, the bypass is expected to bring relief to the Alappuzha town from the traffic bottlenecks.
