The sinking of S.A. Road beside the Kochi metro pillars is most pronounced at Manorama Junction, where the uneven surface has been causing accidents, discomfort to commuters, and damage to vehicles.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
An expert committee has submitted a report to the Kerala High Court on a ₹10-crore project of the Kochi Corporation to resurface the 3.10-km long S.A. Road in the city, to do away with the gaping and frequent level differences on the fast track beside the Kochi metro pillars.
Citing the need for timely disbursal of funds for the project on S.A. Road, Mayor V.K. Minimol said such undulations on the fast track were a problem on either side of the Aluva-MG Road-Vyttila metro corridor. “Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has been apprised of the matter, while the Kochi Corporation will shortly take it up with the Minister for Public Works,” she said.
On whether the civic agency had approached Kochi Metro Rail Limited for part funding the work along the metro corridor, she said the metro agency cited no funds for the purpose.
The metro agency had been saying that it was up to the road-owning agency to execute restoration and resurfacing works since the three-year defect liability period for resurfacing works that it executed after the metro’s commissioning was over.
However, engineers suggest a more comprehensive work on the fast track on either side of the metro corridor along not just S.A. Road, but also on M.G. Road and Banerjee Road. This would be a lasting solution to the problem, they said.
Gaping level difference
Yacub Mohan George, a former Deputy Chief Engineer of the Public Works department (PWD), attributed the differential sinking of the earth below the road strip between two adjacent pile caps to weak soil beneath. “To strengthen the earth for compacting the sub soil, sand piling, PVD [polyvinyl drain] and wooden/coconut piles can be used. Alternately, concrete land slab can be cast between the pile caps. The sinkage of the road can be reduced by sand piling, he said.
In its report submitted before the Kerala High Court, the expert committee said the gaping undulations had been caused, primarily due to the settlement of the road’s four-lane carriageway. There are locations on the road where the level difference (between the metro pile cap and the slow track’s kerb) ranges up to 300 mm, adversely affecting riding quality and safety of motorists. The proposed ₹10-crore work involves “scarifying the existing bituminous surface over a width of 4.0 m on either side of the median at affected locations, correcting the level differences with wet mix macadam of the required thickness, and the subsequently laying of dense bituminous macadam and bituminous concrete layers.”
Further, resurfacing has been proposed for the full carriageway width of 11 metres on either side of the median, to ensure a uniform riding surface. The work also includes thermoplastic road markings and the installation of reflective road studs for improved traffic safety and riding comfort. In addition, a letter has been issued to the PWD to prepare a detailed estimate and steps to rectify such undulations on roads under its jurisdiction, the report said.
Published – July 12, 2026 01:34 am IST
