Traffic snarls around Edappally, Palarivattom spills onto NH bypass, other major roads

Calls to remove barricades or reduce the barricaded area near KMRL Kakkanad extension works are growing amid massive traffic snarl, especially in and around Palarivattom and on Civil Line Road. | Photo credit: H. VIBHU

According to citizens and traffic police officials, excessive delays in removing barricades around the Kakkanad Metro works in Kochi and snarls on roads leading to Edappally Junction have been contributing to massive and unmanageable traffic delays across the city in recent times.

Edappally has emerged as the epicenter of the snarl over time, with the congestion spilling over to the Edappally-Aroor NH bypass and other key arteries in the city, said Sherif S., Deputy Commissioner of Traffic, City Traffic Police (East).

“Among the reasons is that a large proportion of vehicles enter and exit Lulu Mall through the adjacent gates towards Edappally Junction on NH 544. It is high time that one side entry and one side exit towards NH 66 are allowed. Moreover, the footbridge will help ease traffic congestion in front of St. George’s Church on the west side of Edappally Junction,” he added.

Inadequate signboards and barricades around the National Highways Authority of India flyovers on both sides of Edappally Junction added to the chaos. The many trenches dug as part of the works must also be cordoned off with reflective tape and barricades to give motorists advance warning. The slow pace of work has further compounded the snarl, even on service roads along the Palarivattom-Edappally NH bypass, he added.

On its part, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) needs to reduce the extent of roadblocks at the Kakkanad metro extension works at Palarivattom, especially in front of St. Martin’s Church, where vehicles from the four-lane Edappally-Kaloor NH stretch merge with those coming from the NH bypass and Palarivattom, Mr. Sherif said.

CJ Johnson, a commuter, expressing concern over the worsening traffic jams on both sides of the Metro works, said he had written to KMRL that even ambulances carrying patients were stuck due to delays in removing the barricades.

“Even a five-minute snarl of traffic can have catastrophic consequences in such cases. Not to mention the huge financial losses caused by lost time, wasted fuel and resulting pollution. Solutions include reducing the blocked area and relocating bollards and other structures that restrict traffic,” he added.

Meanwhile, sources in the KMRL said that the agency was unable to carry out several preparatory works before starting the Kakkanadu widening project to remove bottlenecks and relocate bollards from the carriageway. “This was mainly because the state government failed to allocate sufficient funds for the purpose, including ₹8 crore that the metro agency had requested more than two years ago,” the sources added.

With increasing complaints of traffic snarl, efforts should be made to reduce the extent of barricades erected for the widening work, they said.

Published – 25 May 2026 0:47 AM IST