IIT-Madras to execute the process; defects to be rectified by builder firm at its own expense
Doubly cautious following the Palarivattom flyover fiasco, the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) has requested structural engineering experts from IIT-Madras to conduct a load test on the six-lane Kundannoor flyover which, along with the Vyttila flyover, is slated for commissioning in mid-December.

The condition that a load test should be done if RBDCK insisted, had been mentioned in the agreement with the construction company that built the Kundannoor flyover, said Jafar Malik, Managing Director, RBDCK. “Bituminous concreting work will get over in two days, following which load test will be done over a two-day period. Its report will be ready in around a week,” he added.

Defects, if any, will have to be rectified by the builder company at its own expense. RBDCK will foot the approximately ₹3 lakh expense of the load test, if everything is good, he said.

Load test is considered the final procedure to verify a flyover’s structural integrity.

Furthermore, RBDCK has requested the government to constitute a committee comprising three chief engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD), to inspect the structure and give a report, it is learnt.

Vyttila flyover
The PWD (NH Wing), which built the Vyttila flyover, had been entrusted with the supervision of the Kundannoor flyover work.

Sources in the PWD (NH Wing) said that painting of road markings on Vyttila flyover and roads at the junction would get over in a few days. This will be followed by erection of direction boards. A load test will be done, if instructed by the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), which funded the project, they added.

Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) has already completed a major portion of traffic signal installation work at Kundannoor Junction, while it will pick up the pace at Vyttila Junction, where five roads converge, in the coming days. The undulating service roads at Kundannoor will be repaired once the flyover is commissioned, to prevent traffic hold-ups, the sources said.

Palarivattom flyover
Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has completed 95% of work to dismantle girders and pier caps of the damaged Palarivattom flyover, two months since the work to rebuild the structure began. The debris of the dismantled structure comprising concrete and the black-topped portion was used to fill approaches within the retention walls of bridges that are under construction.

The girders of the central span have been retained, since they were built using pre-stressed technology, unlike the RCC girders that were dismantled. Work to strengthen pillars using concrete jacketing is under way. A few pier caps too were launched.

Pier caps and girders are under different stages of completion at the DMRC yard at Kalamassery.