Railway underpass sought to ease traffic congestion

September 24, 2013

TNN |

KOTTAYAM: An underpass at Muttambalam railway gate is increasingly becoming a necessity as KK Road is getting choked with traffic during peak hours.The gate is located in Madukkani-Chanthakkadavu Road – a road that has the potential to be developed as a parallel road to the KK Road.

Even now, motorists depend on this road to avoid getting stuck in the traffic on KK Road. Despite the utility of this road which connects Kanjikuzhy and Kodimatha, it is badly maintained and the demand for an underpass at Muttambalam is also being ignored.

With several apartment projects completed and some underway and others being planned in Kanjikuzhy and Manganam area, the density of population would increase in these areas in the coming years, which will make the development of this road a priority.

The railway gate at Muttambalam is only a few kilometres away from the Kottayam railway station and on Monday, the local residents were shocked to see a train approaching the opened gate around 10.45am.

However, the train stopped a few metres away and continued the journey only after the gates were closed. “I was alerted by the local residents when I was approaching the gate in my scooter,” said H Kurien, a motorist.

Meanwhile, the Railway officials at the Kottayam Railway Station said that the gate at Muttambalam operates through a signal system and the green signal will be shown only when the gates are closed.

According to the officials of the engineering department, a proposal for an underpass here was there, but has gathered dust.

Meanwhile, Kuruvilla Jacob, a resident of Muttambalam and former municipal council member of this ward, the proposal for the widening of the Madukkany-Chanthakkadavu Road is as old as 1978. “The widening was there in the master plan of the town. The proposal was for an 18-metre wide road out of which six metre was for footpath and drainage,” he said.

The road passes through Bata Junction, Erayilkadavu, Chantha Kadavu and joins MG Road in Kodimatha.

Once the Erayilkadavu Bridge is completed, reaching Manipuzha will also become easier.

Meanwhile, PWD officials said that the road from Muttambalam to Chanthakkadavu will be resurfaced soon.

“The work has been tendered and will start soon. As of now, only the surface will be relaid and widening is not there,” said Santhosh, assistant executive engineer.

Source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Traffic Congestion, Traffic Management

Underpass at Sarita Vihar

September 5, 2013

Hindustan Times (Delhi)
Garima Vohra / PRATEEK VERMA / HT PHOTO

(The underpass will connect Okhla Industrial Area with Kalindi Kunj on the Noida side.)

There is good news for the commuters travelling between Sarita Vihar, Kalindi Kunj and Okhla. The much awaited and one of the longest underpasses will soon be made operational here. It will reduce the distance between Sarita Vihar and Okhla. From nine km it will be reduced to one km. The construction of the underpass at Sarita Vihar within the railway boundary is being executed by the Northern Railway on behalf of the Delhi Development Authority. This underpass will connect Okhla Industrial Area with Kalindi Kunj on the Noida side.

“I will benefit a lot as I live in Block J, Sarita Vihar, and my office is in Okhla Industrial Area Phase-4,” says Paramjeet Kaur Juneja, a resident of Sarita Vihar. This is probably the largest underpass being constructed by the advance technique of box pushing. The segments are precast over a horizontal RCC thrust bed, adjacent to the railway embankment. The boxes are then pushed into the embankment one after another with the help of hydraulic force created by jacks. The force of the jacks is transmitted to precast segment and thus it moves forward. There is uninterrupted train movement during the construction. The underpass is being made under the Delhi-Mumbai rail route, one of the busiest in India. About 300 trains pass on this rail section every day.

The underpass is being built on the two-four box pattern. It will have eight lanes for vehicular movement and one lane for the pedestrians and cyclists. Adds Bimal Jairaj, another resident of Block H, Sarita Vihar, “There is a designated space for pedestrians and cyclists on this underpass. Usually, these two categories are left to fend for themselves since there is no provision for them in the design plan.” “Once the underpass is functional, it will reduce the travelling time. The railway track has been continuously monitored and uninterrupted train movement at controlled speed was ensured during the construction phase. The underpass is likely to be functional in the next six months,” says Neeraj Sharma, chief public relations officer, Northern Railway.

Source-http://paper.hindustantimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Uncategorized