Thrissur-Kuttippuram Road work progresses at snail's pace

Lorry, heading from Pattambi to Perumbavoor, fell into a deep pothole at Muringoor

- GOPIKA VARRIER @Thrissur

A midnight mishap at Muringoor threw traffic on the Ernakulam-Thrissur stretch of NH 544 into chaos, paralyzing movement of travelers for nearly 15 hours and stranding hundreds of vehicles.

The incident occurred when a timber-laden lorry, heading from Pattambi to Perumbavoor, fell into a deep pothole along the service road near the Muringoor underpass construction site. The vehicle overturned, its front portion stuck in the crater, while timber logs were scattered across the road in the impact of the mishap. Clearing the wreckage was a prolonged operation, leaving a trail of bottlenecks that stretched from Paliyekkara to Chalakudy.

By dawn on Saturday, the gridlock had extended to nearly 15 km, trapping commuters ranging from office-goers and job aspirants to families rushing for emergencies. "Around midnight, I crossed the Paliyekkara toll plaza and since then the vehicle has been moving at a snail's pace. We couldn't eat or drink anything. For drivers like us, every hour matters, but we were stuck in the middle of the road," said Sonam Kumar, a truck driver.