Punkunnam-Puzhakkal road closure for repairs leads to traffic chaos in Thrissur

With the Punkunnam-Puzhakkal stretch remaining closed for months due to roadwork, Thrissur city has been witnessing traffic chaos.

As vehicles are diverted through narrow and battered bylanes, passengers are facing long delays, bumpy rides and a transport system pushed to its limits.

Currently, vehicles from Puzhakkal heading towards Thrissur are allowed through the road, but unless two-way access is restored, the traffic bottlenecks across Ayyanthole, Kurinjyakkal, and Puzhakkal will only worsen. The situation is especially difficult for buses from Thrissur towards Kozhikode, Guruvayur, Kunnamkulam, Mysuru and Bengaluru. With the Punkunnam route remaining inaccessible, buses are now rerouted via Ayyanthole.

Fallen into disrepair

Buses taking the West Fort Road past the Collectorate towards Puzhakkal have only added to the congestion. Most private vehicles, including school vans and ambulances, now struggle to pass through Udaya Nagar, a narrow stretch. The road, which was repaired before the rain, has now fallen into disrepair again, with heavy vehicles, school traffic, and hundreds of other vehicles using it on a daily basis. Ambulances headed towards hospitals are also caught in the traffic jams. With multiple schools and colleges situated along the stretch, traffic crawls all day long.

As traffic blocks have become the norm, wedding groups heading for Guruvayur are advised to arrive a day early and those travelling to the Nedumbassery airport are asked to start sufficiently early, say local people.

Accidents

Autorickshaw divers refuse to offer rides towards Muthuvara or Puzhakkal. As buses try to squeeze through the gaps between vehicles to make up for the time lost, accidents are also common in the area.

A flex board at Ayyanthole urges drivers to remember that human life is more valuable than time, but in the traffic chaos, it is doubtful anyone reads it.

Authorities are yet to announce a clear reopening date for the Punkunnam-Puzhakkal road. With rain continuing and work dragging on, residents fear things will get still worse.