Kochi Metro Phase 2 construction will trigger a month-long traffic diversion near Palarivattom from Thursday, November 5, after piling work is scheduled near St Martin Church. The road section between Sree Narayana Junction, commonly known as SN Junction, and St Martin Church will be temporarily closed as part of the construction activity.
Vehicles travelling from Edappally towards Kaloor will be diverted from SN Junction to Palarivattom Junction. From there, motorists will have to turn right and continue towards Kaloor, according to the traffic arrangement announced by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. The diversion will be implemented on a trial basis from Thursday before continuing for one month.
Preparatory work for the temporary road closure will begin on Wednesday, November 4. Kochi Metro officials and the assistant commissioner of Kochi City Police jointly inspected the location before deciding the traffic-control measures, the report said.
The closure is linked to piling work near St Martin Church for the second phase of the Kochi Metro project. Piling is a foundation-related construction activity that can require work zones, machinery movement and safety clearances around an active road. The affected stretch lies within Palarivattom, a major urban movement corridor connecting residential areas and commercial districts with Kaloor and Edappally.
For commuters, the immediate change will affect vehicles travelling towards Kaloor from the Edappally side. Drivers will need to use Palarivattom Junction rather than continuing through the section between SN Junction and St Martin Church. The announcement does not specify separate arrangements for pedestrians, public transport vehicles or emergency traffic.
The diversion illustrates the direct street-level effects of extending metro infrastructure through an already developed part of Kochi. Unlike construction on a vacant site, work along an established road requires traffic management to be coordinated with construction sequencing and public safety. In this case, the metro authority and city police have jointly reviewed the site before the temporary restrictions.
Kochi Metro Rail Ltd has asked members of the public to cooperate with the traffic arrangements during the construction period. The trial diversion is scheduled to begin on Thursday, with the restrictions expected to remain in place for one month.
