A good cyclist can easily cover a distance of 56 km in three hours. However, a car needs more time to negotiate the same distance along the National Highway (NH) 566 in Thrissur district, even after paying a toll of ₹90. This is because work on seven underpasses is taking place simultaneously along the stretch, causing severe traffic blocks. A Manorama team conducted a 'reality check', which started from Karukutty on the border between Ernakulam and Thrissur districts at 3.10 pm on Monday last and reached Vaniyambady on Thrissur-Palakkad border at 6.20 pm. Here are the team's experiences at the construction site of each underpass.

3.10 pm: Chirangara
The car crossed Karukutty at 3.10 pm after passing the ever-busy Angamaly and Karayamparambu junctions, where the traffic always moves slowly. Long queues of vehicles started right from a signboard which read, ‘Welcome to Thrissur district.’

Both paths of the national highway, to and from Thrissur, were choked with vehicles, which proceeded in three lines but became a single queue at the site of the underpass. It was evident that work was progressing slowly at Chirangara as only a lone earthmover and a few labourers were seen. Vehicles remained motionless for a considerable time in the area and the passengers could only express despair at the sight of the skeleton built for the underpass.

3.50 pm: Koratty Signal
The time taken to cover the distance of a mere 3 km from Chirangara to Koratty was 40 minutes. Even a pedestrian can reach the place earlier. With the service road also lying in a shambles here, vehicles have no alternative but to take the choked main road. Though a proposal has been placed to construct a flyover at Koratty, the work is yet to begin. Meanwhile, the congestion of vehicles continued at the junction as the traffic signals were dysfunctional. Long lines of vehicles were seen towards Ernakulam also.

4.20 pm: Muringoor
The worst congestion was experienced at Muringoor, the site of the second underpass. The service road in this area was also unmotorable. Huge trucks were squeezed in between other vehicles in the single-line traffic at the construction site, causing further delay. Unless restrictions are placed on heavy vehicles during peak hours, the situation could become worse.

Little work has taken place at the spot. Earthmovers were lying idle between huge mounds of soil. The car emerged out of the traffic block at 4.23 pm – nearly an hour and a quarter to negotiate barely 6 km.

4.33 pm: Perambra
After continuous traffic congestions, travellers heaved a sigh of relief on the Chalakudy flyover and vehicles raced towards Thrissur. But, the relief lasted barely 10 minutes... till the site of the third underpass at Perambra. Workers and machines could be seen quite active at this spot. With slow-moving traffic, there was no congestion and the car passed Perambra within seven minutes.

4.58 pm: Amballur
Though the ‘Manorama’ team anticipated a severe block at Pudukad Signal Junction, long lines of vehicles were seen only towards Ernakulam. However, the congestion started from near the accident-prone curve in front of Puthukad KSRTC bus stand, as the site of the Amballur underpass was ahead. Queues of vehicles towards Ernakulam extended up to the toll plaza in this area. Several complaints were raised over unscientific work in Amballur and the underpass was reconstructed several times. The car took 10 minutes to pass the site.

5.25 pm: Mudikkode
After a short wait at the toll plaza and a payment of ₹90, the car proceeded towards Mannuthy. By this time, the journey had covered only 29 km in two hours and 15 minutes. On reaching Mudikkode at 5.25 pm, after passing Mannuthy, long lines of vehicles extending to 1 km were seen. The two lines of vehicles merged into one near the underpass construction site, creating a bottleneck. It took 28 minutes to come out of the block here.

5.55 pm: Kallidukku
Traffic was diverted in this area and the route marked with ribbons. Vehicles traversed this stretch patiently in a single line. One could witness the ‘box’ for the underpass which resembled a wall in the middle of the road. In the opposite direction, an ambulance was seen stranded between other vehicles. The site was covered in 10 minutes.

6.15: Vaniyambara
Kuthiran hill, once a nightmare for travellers on the Thrissur–Palakkad highway, was behind in no time, thanks to the tunnels built through it. Still, another congestion awaited vehicles at Vaniyambara - the site of the seventh and last underpass in Thrissur district. While traffic proceeded along a single line, some motorists tried to violate the queue and move ahead, attracting furious glances from others.

The time was 6.20 pm when the car reached Vaniyambara after passing the block at the construction site.

While the ‘Manorama’ team covered the 56 km in three hours and 10 minutes after starting at 3.10 pm, it is hard to guess the duration of the journey if we had started during the peak time of 9 am or 6 pm.