The regulations are being imposed in connection with piling works in the vicinity of the church. File photo KOCHITraffic regulations will come into effect on Friday for a month in the SN Junction-St.

Martin’s Church corridor at Palarivattom.The regulations are being imposed in connection with piling works in the vicinity of the church. A trial run of the traffic diversion along the barricaded corridor was conducted on Thursday.

As per a diversion plan prepared by the police and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), vehicles travelling from Edappally to Kaloor will have to turn left at SN Junction, proceed to Palarivattom, turn right and then head towards Kaloor. The KMRL has sought the cooperation of motorists and other members of the public in this regard through a press release.Speaking about the planned piling activity, a metro official said that parts of the road at the Y-junction near the church, where vehicles from Edappally converge with those from Palarivattom Junction, might have to be trenched to a depth of about two metres to check for underground utilities such as pipelines and cables.

This work is expected to be completed by Sunday, after which piling will commence for a ‘portal pillar’ to be erected on the other side of the church. Land was acquired on both sides of the road for this purpose.

Such trenching is carried out at all pier locations to identify underground utilities and rule out the possibility of their presence at the proposed construction sites or relocate them.Meanwhile, district vice-president of the EDRAAC D.G. Suresh, a Palarivattom resident, said the KMRL ought to have completed piling works for the other pillars and removed the barricades in and around the Palarivattom market area before diverting traffic.

With this not having been done, vehicles arriving from Edappally in two rows, from Palarivattom Bypass Junction in two rows and from Thammanam in a single lane could find it difficult to negotiate the 100-metre-long barricaded stretch in front of the market, where all these streams of traffic converge.The KMRL should also take steps to level the uneven road surface along the Palarivattom-NH Bypass stretch and at two new U-turns beneath the metro viaduct along the corridor to ensure the smooth and safe flow of traffic. The Traffic Police, for their part, must ensure the steady movement of vehicles through the free-left turn at Palarivattom Bypass Junction.

This includes relocating the unofficial bus stop for inter-State buses on the northern side of the junction, Mr. Suresh said.

Published - November 06, 2026 06:30 am IST