The installation of girders as part of the construction of a rail overbridge (ROB) at Malikamukku has been completed.
The construction of two ROBs, at Malikamukku and at Kuthirapanthy, is part of the Alappuzha bypass project. The first girder was fixed at Malikamukku in the early hours of Monday in the presence of officials of Railway and the National Highways Authority of India. Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran said rest of the four girders had been installed in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Minister said that the work to connect the girders at Malikamukku would be completed in two days. The entire project, including the construction of two ROBs, would be completed by April 30.
Girders at Kuthirapanthy
Officials further 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 soon. Once the nod is received, we will install it,” said an official.
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. According to officials, the majority of the project has been completed, but the bypass can only be opened to traffic after the completion of the 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 the 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 Alappuzha town from the traffic bottlenecks.
