Three underpasses to come up along Kazhakootam elevated highway

Thiruvananthapuram: Efforts are on to construct

three

low vehicle

underpasses

(LVUP) along the elevated highway that is coming up at Kazhakkoottam. These LVUPs, when realised, will facilitate risk-free crossing of the highway.

According to sources, the proposed LVUPs would be constructed at Attinkuzhy, Technopark Phase III and Mukkola along the NH bypass stretch. All three spots would

come

under the south end ramp of the elevated highway.

Sources said the government has already green signalled proposals for two of the LVUPs at Attinkuzhy and Mukkolakkal. The government has asked the officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) here to submit a revised proposal to include one more underpass in the proposed project at Technopark Phase III. As per the plans, each underpass would be 5.5 meters tall. A year ago the state government had suggested NHAI officials consider the possibility of underpasses connecting service roads on either side of the elevated highway.

This request was made considering the concerns raised by Technopark management and employees who said without it they would have to cover too much distance to enter Technopark campuses here on the east side of the highway. Techies who alight at Kazhakkoottam railway station on the west side of the highway would be the most affected.

Sources close to the elevated highway works also said they are expecting to complete the highway and the underpasses simultaneously if the government approves the revised proposal which will be submitted in the next week. If everything goes as per plans, the works will be carried out by the same company constructing the elevated highway as an add-on project.

The officials concerned believe that the underpasses will not only facilitate easy crossing of the highway, it will also reduce the risk of accidents. Since vehicles traveling along the elevated highway would be moving at great speed, the possibility of accidents would be higher if the vehicles from service roads try to cross the highway.

Kazhakkoottam elevated is a key infrastructure project that is expected to solve the traffic woes at the IT corridor of Kazhakkoottam. The four lane elevated highway is 2.7 km long starting from CSI Mission Hospital in the north and ending near Technopark Phase III junction in the south. According to RDS Constructions, the company that is carrying out the construction, more than 65% of the works have been completed so far.


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