Giving a glimmer of hope to thousands of people in Kozhikode and Kannur districts, the Public Works Department (PWD) has worked out a proposal to construct an alternative road connecting Koyilandy and Koothuparamba in these districts.
A major task will be to construct a bridge across Akalapuzha connecting Mudadi and Thuraiyur grama panchayats in Kozhikode district. The PWD’s Design Research Investigation and Quality Control has carried out a feasibility report and also conceived a design for the bridge. A sum of Rs. 10 lakh in two instalments was provided for the purpose. An estimate for the project would be prepared soon, K. Dasan, MLA, said.
Speaking to The Hindu here on Monday, Mr. Dasan said that the alternative road would not only decongest the parallel NH-17, but also reduce the distance between Koyilandy and Kannur by almost 15 km. The existing distance between Koyilandy and Kannur is 70 km.
The proposal is to construct a bridge across Akalapuzha from the Anakulangara waterfront, which is 6.25 km north of Koyilandy to reach the banks of Thuraiyur grama panchayat. The distance of the bridge would be 200 metres, he said.
The alternative highway would pass through the existing roads at Cherandathur, Thodannur, Chemmerathur, Villiyappally, Kalleri, Kundingad, Purameri, Vettummal, Iringallur in Kozhikode district and enters Kannur district from Peringathur, Mekkunnu, Pookkom, Panur, Kottayam and Koothuparamba. One can reach Kannur through Peralassery route, Mr. Dasan added.
However these roads have to be widened for the new highway. About Rs 10 to 15 crore would be required to construct a new bridge, M.V. Habeeb Rehman, executive engineer, PWD, said.
Mr. Dasan also said the previous Left Democratic Front government had agreed in principle to construct a bridge during its tenure. A token amount had also been set aside for the project in the 2008-09 budget. The proposal had to be dropped citing shortage of funds. Earlier a soil testing had also been carried out. But a fresh testing is needed, he said.
