Relief in sight: new three-lane Edappally Railway Overbridge set to open by Sept

Kochi: Commuters navigating the heavily congested Edappally-Moothakunnam NH-66 corridor can finally look forward to smoother journeys with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) set to open the new three-lane Edappally railway overbridge (RoB) facility by Sept.

The contracting firm, Delhi-based Oriental Structural Engineers Pvt Ltd, successfully executed the arduous task of setting up the central span and launching the massive bowstring girder directly over the active railway lines on Monday night. “With the opening of the new RoB, the traffic movement through the stretch will ease considerably.

We’ve already facilitated vehicular traffic through the 1.03-km-long Varapuzha bridge, another engineering feat using the balanced cantilever technology, in April,” the official added.

NHAI contractor started the preparatory work in the railway stretch on June 2.

The railways initiated temporary train regulations on July 11 to facilitate the construction. “The most challenging aspect was the launch of the bowstring girder, which required strict train regulations to connect both sides of the highway.

Now the work on approach portions is pending,” the official said.

With the complex girder launch successfully completed, engineers and construction crews now require about two weeks to finalise the remaining structural activities.

The completed RoB will span a total length of 633m with an expansive width of 15m to support three lanes of traffic.

Its most critical segment, the 63.48-metre central span over the tracks, utilises specialised steel girders that were custom-fabricated and transported from Delhi.

Moving this heavy infrastructure into place required a precision sliding operation, smoothly bridging the gap above the tracks during a tight night-time window.

With the completion of Edappally RoB, all seven major and eight minor bridges along Edappally-Moothakunnam stretch as part of widening the highway into 45m will be over. “However, an issue was identified with the piling on one side of Kottappuram bridge.

An expert study is being conducted and we’re awaiting the report to take the rectification measures,” an official said.

NHAI so far completed 75% of widening activities in the 26-km stretch and aims to wrap up the entire Rs 1,618 crore six-lane expansion by year end. “However, additional works undertaken later - that of seven CH overbridges and underpasses, will be completed only by the middle of next year.

They are at the design stage now,” he said.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in KochiStay updated with the latest Kochi news.

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