Title - Tenders called to build Alappuzha bypass

The calling of tenders for the construction of Alappuzha bypass by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has injected fresh hopes for the completion of the project. The project has been hanging fire for more than two decades.The tender invited for Alappuzha bypass is to pre-qualify and short-list suitable contractors who will be eligible for participating in the bid stage for construction of the bypass with paved shoulder on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode (Under the EPC mode, the contractor designs the installation, procures the necessary materials and builds the project, either directly or sub-contracting part of the work). The total length of 6.8 km will be built at an indicative cost of Rs.208.4 crore.The two-lane bypass will have two Railway Over Bridges (ROBs), one at Malikamukku and Kommadi; and an elevated highway. The elevated highway through the Alappuzha beach will be one km in length. The bypass is being constructed from SD College, Kalarcodeon, at the south of the town to Kommadi on the north. Companies can submit tenders up to 11 a.m. on March 7. The bypass is now expected to be completed in two and a half years. The initial cost was Rs.157 crore. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal, who is also the Alappuzha MP, had taken up the issue with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways several times. The bypass will help in easing the traffic congestion in the town, as it helps the vehicles coming to Alappuzha town through the NH 47 to pass through without entering the town.