Traffic congestion has worsened at Vyttila Junction, although the six-lane flyover was commissioned on January 9 last year, which is the largest junction in the state. This has led to demands from police personnel, traffic experts and others that the Public Works Department (NH Wing), which has built the flyover, take drastic measures to make optimum use of the space under the structure.
It is shocking that the PWD has done very little to reduce the boundary of the roundabout and traffic median built under the flyover even after agreeing 10 months ago. Police sources said this would greatly ease the movement of traffic in all directions, opening up space for plying vehicles and those waiting for the green signal.
Upendra Narayan, an expert in road safety and road engineering, gave critique to the criticism that the flyover helped only 30% of long-distance motorists, forcing others to relocate under the structure, talking about the situation. How would it have been better but for loose planning by PWD and state government. “They dream of big projects, not tailor-made solutions to streamline traffic flow over the bottlenecks that also abound on highways.”
“One does not need rocket technology to decongest Vytila. Simple and quick measures that make maximum use of the available space under the flyover will go a long way in reducing traffic jams. The junction has to be designed without considering a few thousand buses. who gather every day at the Vyttila Mobility Hub, the entry and exit of which are blocked. Engineers have not paid attention to the turning circles of the buses and their approach and departure angles. As much as about the plight of the pavement at the junction. The less said, the better,” said Sree Narayan.
Councilor Sunita Dixon, representing Vaytila in Kochi Corporation, said that the PWD and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are delaying the preparation of a new underpass parallel to the one under the Vaytila railway bridge, to ensure smooth flow of vehicles. Were. East-West direction.
Sources in the PWD said that higher officials of the department are yet to proceed with the redesigning of the roundabout and medians obstructing the smooth flow of vehicles under the flyover.
The PWD has also not done much to decongest Edapally Junction, although former Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran had assured at the inauguration of Vaytila flyover that steps would be taken to ensure smooth flow of vehicles there. As a result, traffic jams often extend to the NH bypass near Oberon Mall, located one km from Edapally.
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