Flyover construction on NH causes 2.5km traffic jam at Koratty

Commuters travelling along the National Highway towards Thrissur are being warned to prepare for long delays, as festive rush and flyover construction have triggered massive traffic jams near Koratty. With the Onam festival round the corner, travellers should expect severe blockages that could take hours to navigate. On Wednesday, the gridlock on the Thrissur-bound lane began at Koratty and stretched over 2.5 km, passing the Chirangara flyover. Even emergency vehicles, including ambulances carrying patients in critical condition, were trapped in the bumper-to-bumper traffic for over 20 minutes.

The primary cause of the severe bottleneck is the closure of a one-kilometre stretch of the main highway at Koratty to facilitate flyover construction. As a result, traffic from both directions has been diverted onto narrow, pothole-riddled service roads. Monsoon rain has filled these craters with water, further slowing down vehicle movement. The ongoing heavy machinery work for the flyover on the narrow path has only exacerbated the crisis.

On Wednesday, hundreds of vehicles remained stranded for over an hour and a half. Desperate drivers attempting to use parallel village roads only worsened the situation, as these narrow lanes quickly choked. Vehicles taking these detours faced long waits to rejoin the main highway. While newly completed underpasses at Chirangara and Muringoor have eased local congestion, the massive tailbacks originating from Koratty are now spilling back into those areas.

The gridlock worsened when a concrete slab over a drainage line on the service road caved in under the weight of passing vehicles. Amidst the chaos, a controversy erupted when the flyover construction contractors illegally tapped electricity from a high-mast street light meter to run concrete-breaking machinery. Upon learning of the unauthorised connection, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) officials intervened and halted the work, forcing the contractors to source a generator to complete the repairs.

Local residents and political representatives have demanded strict action against the contractors, pointing out that at least 10 drainage slabs break every month. Despite claims that these slabs were designed to withstand heavy vehicles, frequent damages point to substandard work and contractor negligence. Local residents warn that recurring slab collapses on busy service roads pose a severe safety hazard to passing motorists.