Trivandrum to Get Infrastructure Boost

Introduction

In a recent development, the newly constituted Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIFB) got administrative approval from the State Government for five major projects. The five projects are the construction of one flyover each at Sreekariyam, Pattom and Ulloor junctions to remove the traffic bottlenecks during the peak hours of a day. The fourth project is the four-laning of 6.5-kilometer-long Pravachambalam-Vazhimukku section of National Highway 66 and the first building at the Technocity. When these projects get implemented, it would add to the growing stature of the capital city of the God’s Own Country.  This will also become the fillip to the requirements that may arise when the city is developed into a Smart City.  In this blog post, we will look at the projects at some details and the likely change they might bring to the capital city Trivandrum.

KIFB Clearance for Five Mega Projects

The newly constituted KIFB has given in principle approval for five major infrastructure projects in the state capital. The total cost expected to execute this project is to the tune of Rs. 525.99 crore. It is for the first time that many high-value infrastructure projects are given administrative permission in the state. According to the learned sources in the KIFB, four projects come under the Public Works Department (PWD) and one comes under the Information Technology (IT) Department of the Kerala Government. Of the five projects, three are flyover construction, one four-laning of Pravachambalam-Vazhimukku corridor of National Highway 66 and the last one is the making of first building in Technocity. The latest reports available in the public domain suggest that Kerala Government has already given the administrative clearance for them already.  The construction of the three flyovers at Pattom, Ulloor and Sreekariyam junctions has originally been proposed by Delhi Metro Rail Cooperation (DMRC) as part of the Technocity-Karamana elevated metro corridor. The total length of the elevated corridor is 21.82 kilometers.

Wdening of NH 66 Stretch

When completed, the four-laned stretch will have a width of 30.2 meter. The proposed stretch of the widened road will have a median of 3.5 meter to accommodate the Metro up to Neyyattinkara. Under Reach I, the PWD would complete the widening of 21.82-kilometer Technocity-Karamana elevated metro corridor. After this, the PWD would take up the widening of 29.2-kilometer Karamana-Kaliyikavila stretch of National Highway 66. The total expected cost of the Reach II is Rs. 153 crore. KIFB has allocated an initial installment of Rs. 50 crore for the Reach II already.

Flyover Construction

As stated earlier the building of three flyovers was initially proposed by DMRC as part of 21.82-kilometer-long Technocity-Karamana elevated metro corridor. Under this scheme, a flyover will come at Pattom, Ulloor and Sreekariyam junctions. The total cost of the Sreekariyam flyover is Rs. 135.37 crore, and it will have common pillars for vehicular traffic and MMTS. KIFB has already allocated a sum of Rs. 50 crore for this 630-meter long Sreekariyam flyover. As per the plan, the 570-meter flyover at Pattom will start near the Public Service Commission (PSC) office and extend up to the Plamood. Against the expected cost of Rs. 84.60 crore, KIFB has released Rs. 32 crore as advance for its construction. Meanwhile, the authorities have proposed the 390-meter Ulloor flyover on the Medical College side. Of the expected cost of Rs. 52.68 crore, KIFB has allocated an initial amount of Rs. 18 crore for this flyover. For this three-flyover project, KIFB has acquired nearly 2.27 hectares of the urban land and shifted 163 buildings at a cost of Rs. 272.68 crore.

Technocity Building

The first building at the proposed Technocity will have an effective area of 2 lakh square-feet.  The estimated cost for constructing this building is Rs. 100 crore. However, KIFB has allocated only Rs. 2 crore for this project as the first installment.