Traffic snarl on approach road to Sankara Bridge returns to plague Kalady town

The traffic snarl experienced in Kalady on Friday (May 30, 2025). 

Traffic snarl caused by potholes on the approach road to the decades-old Sree Sankara Bridge along the critical MC Road and the undulated surface of the bridge has returned to plague Kalady town.

Union Minister Suresh Gopi got a taste of the traffic woes while passing through the area on Thursday (May 30, 2025). He interacted with local residents and contacted the Public Works department. Residents complained how the sorry state of the road and the bridge during the monsoon had been a recurrent phenomenon throwing life out of gear in Kalady town.

“Whether due to the Minister’s intervention or not, the potholes at the point of entry to the bridge were levelled using earthmovers on Thursday midnight. This seemed to have eased traffic a great deal on Friday. Resurfacing of the road may have to wait till the monsoon is over,” said P.B. Sajeev, member of Kalady town ward of Kalady grama panchayat.

Shaijan Thottappilly, Kalady panchayat president, however, said the PWD authorities were contacted long before the onset of the monsoon to ensure that the road was freshly surfaced to avoid the usual traffic logjam. “We were told that the expiry of the contract for the stretch concerned was the reason for not taking up repair work in time. The panchayat has even passed a unanimous resolution demanding the timely intervention of the PWD in the matter. The District Collector has promised to give the work to the same contractor, whose contract had run out, to ensure timely surfacing,” he added.

Traders in Kalady town have been traditionally left to bear the brunt of traffic-induced woes as potential customers tend to avoid visiting the town. “We are left to sit idle every time traffic through the bridge is reduced to a snail’s pace. The authorities could have done resurfacing of the road at least a month before the onset of the monsoon. Traffic block on the bridge creates a cascading effect across the town,” said M.P. Polachan, a nutmeg trader in the town.

The old bridge, however, needs much more than mere resurfacing as pointed out by IIT Madras some time ago. “Maintenance of the bridge requires closing it to traffic, which cannot be done unless the new bridge is in place. Two more pillars of the upcoming bridge need to be installed, which will now have to wait till the monsoon is over,” said Mr. Thottappilly.