Title - Koyilandy rail-over-bridge to be opened

KOZHIKODE: Traffic congestion in Koyilandy municipal limit is likely to be resolved as the rail-over-bridge (ROB) on the Koyilandy- Thamarassery- Balussery route will be opened for vehicular movement on Saturday by Chief Minister Oomman Chandy. After the inauguration of the ROB the buses plying from the Koyilandy bus stand can directly enter the ROB without taking diversion to NH 17. The total length of the T-shaped Railway over bridge is 1.01 kilo meters. The project which commenced in 2010 was proposed to be completed by October 2012. Though 99 per cent of the work was completed over six months ago the ROB could not be commissioned owing to the delay from the part of the railways that were entrusted the work of 32.4 metre of the total length. The remaining portion of the 981 metre of the ROB was constructed by the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation Kerala (RBDCK). The ROB was completed spending Rs 19.25 crore. According to officials with RBDCK, the length of the approach portion of the ROB towards NH-17 is 338.8 metre; towards Balussery side it is 461.3 metre, and towards Thamarassery it is 213.147 metre.

The carriage way of the ROB has a width of 7.5 meters and the width including the crash barriers is 8.5 metre, said the officials adding that the width of the ROB would help the free flow of large number of vehicles in route. Meantime, the office bearers of Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi and local residents have come up against the absence of footpath on the ROB. Large number of people including school children will be finding it difficult to travel on the ROB owing to the absence of Footpath, they criticised.

Meantime, the traders also demanded immediate intervention of the government to implement rehabilitation package for the merchants who will lose their business with rerouting of vehicular movement following the opening of the ROB.