By February 2022, nearly half of the ongoing smart road works in Thiruvananthapuram will likely be completed. Some of the other roadworks, on the other hand, are expected to take several months to complete. Only 15 stretches of 3.2 km of corporation roads have begun construction out of 40 totalling 9.87 km. To avoid causing more inconvenience to road users, work on the remaining stretches will begin only after the current work is completed. The 36.94 km of roads under the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) in the core city area will be a major component of the Smart Road project. Almost 10 of these roads have already begun construction. All cables, including electrical utility cables, telecom cables, digital TV cables, and optical fibre cables, will be relocated to underground ducts as part of the Smart Road project. At 30 m intervals, manholes are provided. By the end of January, ducting and manhole work, as well as the surfacing of Manaveeyam Veedhi and Charithra Veedhi in Fort, should be completed. Work on Manaveeyam Veedhi's cultural street, which includes the construction of a permanent stage and related electrical work, is expected to take six months longer. Once the surfacing is complete, traffic will be allowed to pass through this section. Different contractors are in charge of the roadwork and the cultural street work. According to Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited officials, there have been challenges for the contractors as well, as few have prior experience with Smart Road construction. The Smart Road project has been delayed due to a ban on excavations in the rain, which has resulted in many days of work being lost due to the recent incessant rain in the state. Delays were also caused by Covid-19 protocol restrictions on the maximum number of workers allowed. Image Source Also read: Smart roads in Cochin to be completed by September