THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new bridge over the Killiyar meant to ease traffic movement at Maruthamkuzhi Junction will be ready in two months, according to PWD officials. Once the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) shifts a nearby water pipeline to one side, the remaining work on the bridge and approach roads can be finished in no time, they said. The local people, including two-wheeler riders and pedestrians, are, meanwhile, scarcely waiting for the official inauguration of the bridge. They have already begun using it as it shortens the distance by about one kilometre and helps motorists avoid a winding curve on the main road. ‘’The retaining wall of the bridge and approach road on the Maruthamkuzhi side can be completed only after the KWA pipeline is shifted. This work is in progress. The pipeline passes through the alignment of the proposed approach road,’’ said PWD assistant executive engineer in charge of the work Prabhalachandran. ‘’Ours is a work that should take about three months, but we hope to complete it in two months,’’ he said. The plan now is to allow one-way traffic on the bridge to avoid peak-hour traffic congestion on the existing road. KWA employees are now racing against time to complete the shifting of a cast-iron pipeline to one side so that the remaining work on the bridge and the approach road could go on. Sections of brand-new pipes formed a pyramidical mound on one side of the proposed road. ‘’We expect to complete the work within one to two months,’’ said one of the workers at the site. The bridge, which is yet to be tarred, is a four-span structure having a length of 26.58 metres. On the Sasthamangalam side, the approach road will be 65 metres long and on the Maruthamkuzhi side, 325 metres long, PWD officials said.
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