Thrissur: There would be a prolonged delay in reopening the first of the Kuthiran twin tube tunnels on National Highway 544, thanks to the late start of gantry concreting work and frequent machinery failure. This would mean the traffic snarls in Kuthiran will continue to be a headache for commuters in the scorching summer.

The gantry concreting works to strengthen the arch of the first tunnel towards Thrissur were supposed to begin in December. However, the work started only in the second week of February. According to the agreement between the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and KMC Constructions Pvt Ltd, the private company entrusted to construct the tunnels, concreting and lane-marking works in the first tunnel should be completed by March 10.

However, according to sources from the NHAI and KMC, the work will be completed only by April-end, that too, only if no more technical snags develop.

NHAI authorities closed the first tunnel on January 8 and diverted traffic through the second tunnel towards the Palakkad side in both directions. The delay on the company's side in making the gantry structure, which took them three months, resulted in the slowdown of the construction.

In ideal conditions, KMC workers cover nine metres of concreting work in 24 hours. It takes around 12 hours to fill the concrete and another 7 to 12 hours for it to set. “KMC is working round-the-clock to finish the work at the earliest. We are hopeful of meeting the deadline,” Ajith Prasad, PRO, KMC Constructions Pvt Ltd, told Onmanorama.
The total length of the first tunnel is 955 metres and gantry concreting is to happen on 490 metres, of which only 9 metres have been covered so far.

Penalty awaiting the construction company
When contacted an NHAI official told Onmanorama that if KMC misses the deadline, i.e. March 10, then NHAI will take action as per the agreement between both parties. “There will be a penalty to be paid by the KMC. We are reviewing work progress regularly,” he said.

As of now, vehicles coming from the Palakkad side are blocked on the over-bridge near the Villanvalavu. From there, vehicles have to enter the second tunnel (towards Palakkad) through the second bridge. As soon as the vehicles cross the second tunnel, traffic will be changed to six lanes again.

The Kuthiran twin-tube tunnel is one of the longest tunnels in South India. The work was started in 2016 by NHAI. The first tunnel towards Thrissur was opened on July 31, 2021. But, there were reports that the tunnel was opened for traffic even before the entire work was completed. Questions were raised about the tunnel's safety as it experienced leakages during the rainy season. The second tunnel towards Palakkad was opened on January 20, 2022.