The 17-km Container Road in Kochi in Kerala will be renovated and safety measures improved by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under a ₹129.5-crore project.
This is the first major renovation of the national highway (NH) corridor that was commissioned in 2015 to provide direct connectivity from Angamaly-Edapally NH 544 to the Vallarpadam Container Transhipment Terminal. Service roads totalling 10.4 km too will be renovated as part of the renovation works, it is learnt.
The Container Road has a total of 11 major bridges, a minor bridge, a bridge built by GIDA and 35 culverts. The proposed renovation comes at a time when motorists had been complaining of approach roads to many bridges and culverts sinking, which NHAI officials termed as a “natural phenomenon” during the first few years since the road was reclaimed from backwaters and other waterbodies. The NH stretch also has five pedestrian underpasses, two vehicle underpasses, five major junctions and five minor junctions.
A common but grave safety hazard on the stretch has been illegal and obstructive parking of container lorries, most of which do not have proper reflectors and tail lamps to warn of their presence. This often results in two-wheeler riders ramming the heavy vehicles since the road is mostly ill-lit. Such illegal parking continues even as the stretch has a total of six authorised truck-parking bays, said informed sources.
The proposed renovation works include bituminous concrete resurfacing, repair of rickety expansion joints of bridges which provide a bumpy ride, replacement of damaged bearings of bridges, installation of street lights, crash barriers, sign boards and bollards. A sponsor is expected to beautify the huge roundabout at Bolgatty Junction. The NHAI had earlier this month installed bollards bearing reflectors to prevent unauthorised parking and garbage dumping into the backwaters and road shoulders, they added.
About 30,000 passenger car units use the corridor daily, for which toll is collected.
