: While repair and maintenance works to strengthen the Valapattanam bridge here on the National Highway are continuing, traffic restrictions as part of the ongoing works have caused traffic gridlocks on the alternative routes between Thalassery and Taliparamba.
Traffic restrictions on the Valapattanam bridge have been in force since September 26. The works will continue till November 5. While buses, two-wheelers, three-wheelers and ambulances have been exempted from the traffic restrictions on the bridge across the Valapattanam river, tanker lorries and trucks and other four-wheelers are being routed through alternative roads between Thalassery and Kannur.
Public Works Department (NH Division) engineers said the ongoing works are not routine maintenance works but major ones for strengthening the bridge. Their plan is to complete the works before the scheduled date of completion, they said.
The two alternative routes identified for the trucks are Taliparamba-Sreekantapuram-Irikkur-Chalode-Thalassery and Dharamashala-Parassinikkadavu-Kolacherymukku-Kambil-Narath-Kannadiparamba-Kakkad road. While the former has sufficient width to accommodate the trucks, the latter has narrow stretches.
