Patchwork on Kundannoor-Thevara bridge fails to clear gridlock

Kochi: A rapid patchwork exercise was carried out on the re-laid Kundannoor-Thevara bridge after formation of potholes along the 1.75km stretch in heavy monsoon rains resulted in a serpentine queue of vehicles.

The “temporary” repair was carried out after TOI reported on Monday how the premium “German technology” project collapsed under the season’s first monsoon rains. While the contracting firm, VKJ Constructions, rushed to deploy emergency maintenance crews following public outcry, commuters continue to face exhausting bottlenecks.

“While they have filled up major potholes along the stretch, there are several small craters, which are deteriorating quickly. Authorities have failed to clear the bulges at one side of the bridge, which are dangerous for two-wheelers,” said Vinod Thomas, a resident of Panangad who frequently travels through the stretch.

The two-lane bridge was completely resurfaced using advanced stone mastic asphalt (SMA), a rare German paving technique promising a five-year lifespan, a year ago following public protest over bad condition of the bridge surface. However, the surface quickly deteriorated into deep craters and uneven bulges, prompting demands for its immediate repair.

Public works department (PWD) national highway wing directed the contractor to initiate immediate damage control. Crews have since moved along the gridlocked stretch to execute temporary pothole-filling, utilising ready-to-use cold-mix asphalt. Additionally, workers cleared severely clogged drainage outlets along the bridge deck that were resulting in waterlogging on the tarred surface.

However, the temporary fixes have failed to ease the traffic jam being experienced along the vital corridor during peak hours.

“With heavy rains ongoing, we can only carry out basic maintenance work. A permanent, comprehensive repair will be executed once the rainy season is entirely over,” a representative of VKJ Constructions said.

As the project is tightly bound by a strict five-year defect liability period (DLP), the contractor is legally obligated to execute and completely fund all upcoming rectifications out of its pocket.

“Cracks and bulges began forming at the curve in the central portion even before heavy rains. The fact that craters have resurfaced so quickly points to a serious structural flaw. PWD must rectify this fundamentally rather than just patching it up,” said former Maradu municipality chairperson Antony Ashanparambil, under whose tenure the relaying works were executed.

Resurfacing works were carried out as part of a Rs 12.85 crore project that covers pavement milling and comprehensive resurfacing of a 5.9km corridor (NH 966B) from Kundannoor Junction to CIFT Junction.