As Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) faces funding challenges delaying road redevelopment for its Kakkanad extension, stakeholders intensify calls for prioritizing alternative road upgrades before implementing metro viaduct barricades.
At a recent review meeting, KMRL emphasized diverting heavy goods carriers through parallel roads like Puthiya Road and Vennala High School Road-Palachuvadu-Kakkanad stretch to ease traffic on Civil Line Road. However, demands from officials, representatives, NGOs, and residents’ associations stress on government funding to widen critical junctions and address encroachments.
Efforts are underway to relocate obstructive infrastructure and clear encroachments, with hopes pinned on collaborative efforts between KMRL, Kochi Corporation, and the PWD to enhance connectivity and mitigate traffic congestion around Infopark and Chakkaraparambu-Vennala-Seaport Airport Road.
The ongoing discourse underscores the need for coordinated infrastructure development to support Kochi’s growing IT sector and alleviate traffic bottlenecks, advocating for timely government intervention and strategic metro fund allocation for road improvements.