The construction of the six-lane Kozhikode bypass stretching from Vengalam to Idimuzhikkal on National Highway 66 will begin by mid-April.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had awarded the contract to Hyderabad-based Krishna Mohan Construction Private Limited (KMC) for ₹1,710 crore. “Now the company has to submit a bank guarantee of ₹85.50 crore and sign the agreement for the project within 45 days. The technical sanction had already been secured for the detailed project report,” National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Manager P.K. Suresh told The Hindu on Tuesday.
The project forms part of National Highway Development Project Phase III that will be executed in the hybrid annuity mode. Thus, the government will contribute 40% of the project cost to start work while the remaining investment has to be made by the contractor.
Smooth traffic
The expansion of the 28.8-km Kozhikode bypass into a six-lane carriageway is expected to bring respite from the bottlenecks at Malaparamba, Thondayad and Ramanattukara. Traffic movement from the Vadakara side and Kozhikode mini bypass (from West Hill Chungam to Meenchanda) chocks the Kozhikode bypass as vehicles proceed to Calicut airport and Thrissur and vice versa without entering the city.
Besides, the expansion of the Kozhikode bypass will bring down considerably the number of road accidents on the stretch. The city traffic police expects that the development will reduce the congestion on roads linked to the existing two-lane highway.
Bid price
Mr. Suresh said the bid price was modified from ₹1,585 crore to ₹1,710 crore since the estimate was calculated in 2016. The work will be completed in 30 months. Kozhikode bypass will also be the first project in the State cleared by the Centre after the relaxation of rules in the hybrid annuity mode.
Previously, four other companies, including the Vadakara-based Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), had submitted bids for the project. The project is said to be the largest of NHAI projects in terms of cost per km.
A total of 130 hectares of land required for widening the bypass into 45-metre-width has already been acquired.
The work includes the construction of four major bridges, a minor bridge, seven flyovers, two vehicle underpasses, 17 pedestrian underpasses, 64 pipe culverts and 39 box culverts.
