KOCHI: : There seems to be no respite for commuters along the Vypeen-Munambam State Highway as the reconstruction work of eight old and narrow bridges along the road is lagging behind schedule.Despite District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth’s strict instructions to the officials concerned to finish the work in a time-bound manner, the new bridges adjacent to the old ones at Aniyal, Punchayilthod, Valiyathanparambu, Vadayilthod, Ayyampilly, Pazhangad, Karuthala and Kuzhuppilly are yet to be completed. “The plan is to construct a new bridge parallel to each of the eight bridges. Then the traffic will be re-routed via the new bridge and the demolition work will begin on the old bridge. The new bridges are expected to be completed by the end of January, whereas the entire project will take a year to be completed,” said T I Jose, executive engineer, Public Works Department (PWD). He also added that more than 60 per cent of the work has been completed.“The work is being conducted in two phases. The first phase consists of the construction of the new bridges, whereas the second phase includes the demolition and reconstruction of the old bridge. The first phase is almost over and the new bridges will soon be ready for traffic diversion. However, in some cases, the construction of the approach roads is being delayed due to the issue of removing the pipelines passing under them and there were problems due to frequent rains as well,” said another top official with the PWD.
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