Kundannoor bridge resurfacing: concern over traffic falling into disarray

The PWD NH wing is gearing up to do stone mastic asphalt resurfacing of the busy, 2-km-long Kundannoor-Thevara bridge that links Kochi with Willingdon Island, since the rain has taken a break. But alternative roads have not been developed to divert vehicles, which include container lorries.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU

With the rain taking a break and the Public Works department (NH wing) gearing up to do stone mastic asphalt (SMA) resurfacing of the undulated and potholed, 2-km-long Kundannoor-Thevara bridge that links Kochi with Willingdon Island, fear is rife that this would throw into disarray the movement of vehicles from the city to West Kochi, Willingdon Island and back.

The work to scoop out the surface of the bridge and to resurface it as per SMA specifications is estimated to take a month, PWD sources said.

Still, little has been done to clear encroachments and other bottlenecks on alternative roads in order to divert vehicles, which would include hundreds of container laden lorries that use the bridge daily, said people in the area.

Quoting assurances given by the State government, residents’ associations led by Ernakulam District Residents Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC) have been over the years been demanding steps to widen the narrow but congested Pandit Karuppan Road that links Thevara Junction with the junction on the western side of the Kundannoor bridge.

In early 2021, an elevated road parallel to Pandit Karuppan Road was mulled to augment the vehicle carrying capacity of the road and to hew out space for safe movement of pedestrians.

On the urgent need to resurface the Kundannur bridge, Mayor M. Anilkumar said it could affect movement of commuters and also cargo from the port. The redeveloped Pandit Karuppan Road would have been a good alternative corridor to divert motorists. But the project remains a non-starter, possibly due to issues that the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) is facing to mobilise funds, he added.

Yet another bottleneck between West Kochi and the city is the narrow railway level cross at Vathuruthy.