A load test might be done on the six-lane flyovers at Vyttila and Kundannoor, prior to their commissioning.

This will further delay their commissioning, which was slated to be held soon after the local body polls. A month ago, the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK), which awarded the contract for the Kundannoor flyover, had requested IIT-Madras to conduct a load test over the structure, to assess whether its deflection when fully-loaded lorries passed over was within norms. The test costing around ₹3 lakh had been included in the contractual agreement too. Defects, if any, will subsequently have to be rectified by the builder company at its own expense, official sources said.

They added that a load test might be conducted on the Vyttila flyover too, in all probability. “A three-member committee of PWD chief engineers had inspected the structures a week ago. The date of the test could have been fixed earlier, but for the delay in completing work on the Kundannoor flyover. It will most likely be held in a week, after road markings are done on the structure. Both the structures have a three-year defect-liability period, within which time the contracting firm concerned will have to rectify defects, if any,” they said.

Work on the Vyttila flyover got over a month ago, while allied infrastructure like retro-reflective direction boards and road markings were done a week ago. A few more boards will be installed this week. Apart from regular street lights on the flyover, care has been taken to install them atop service roads also, to ensure safety of motorists and pedestrians using the junction, sources associated with the flyover work said.

Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) has, in the meantime, installed signal systems at the two junctions, which are used by over 1 lakh passenger car units (PCUs) every day.