NHAI is covering elevated portions of the bypass, including areas like Kumbalam, Kundannoor and Nettoor
These semi-rigid steel systems absorb kinetic energy during impacts, preventing vehicles from veering off steep drops, blocking cross-median head-on collisions and shielding traffic from roadside hazards like bridge piers and utility poles,” said a senior NHAI official. Pedestrians should use dedicated foot overbridges or zebra crossings, as speeding vehicles create high risks of mishaps,” said the official. “Now, we have to walk an additional 500m just to reach the highway,” said local resident Sudarshan P.
“We are constructing MBCB barriers at elevated stretches, mainly the approach roads leading to the bridges at these places. MBCBs play a critical role in highway safety. Authorities are trying to tackle pedestrian safety. “We intend to prevent dangerous road crossings at places like Nettoor. However, the new installations have drawn mixed reactions from locals. Residents near Kumbalam approach road complain that the newly erected MBCBs have blocked their direct access to the highway.
Motorists said uneven slopes at both ends of bridges, formed due to soil settlement beneath bridge structures, are causing much hardship. Though NHAI has tarred the surface, it has been ineffective. A high-level team has studied the issue.