The State government’s decision to develop the 600-km Coastal Highway linking nine districts has revived the project for a four-lane coastal road from Vengalam in Kozhikode district to Ponnani in Malappuram district which has been in cold storage for almost 15 years.
A fortnight ago, Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran had announced that funds for the proposed coastal highway will be secured from the newly created Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. The Public Works Department (PWD) has been asked to submit a detailed project report so as to make the highway a reality in five years.
However, public transportation experts, while hailing the decision of the government to revive the project, have also cautioned against confining the carriageway to seven metres (two lanes).
The original proposal for the 72.37-km coastal highway alignment from Ponnani to Vengalam has been for a four-lane road after considering the substantial increase in traffic and the development of minor ports. It passes through Tirur, Tanur, Parappanangadi, Kadalundi, Chaliyam, Beypore, Marad, Kallai, and Kozhikode Beach road and culminates at Vengalam.
The distance between Kochi and Kozhikode will come down by 40 km. Then the estimated project cost was Rs.2,452 crore, including land acquisition.
K. Narayanan, former Additional General Manager, Roads and Bridges Development Corporation, who had prepared the coastal road project in 2001-2002, said that “ if the government has decided to construct the coastal highway, it should be 30 metres rights of way with four-lane traffic having seven metres of carriageway on either side of the divider.”
Otherwise the coastal road would not serve its purpose. Besides, acquisition of land in future would be nearly impossible.
The Centre had also announced that funds would not be a problem for development and transportation needs, he said.
The Rail India Technical and Economic Services ( RITES), under the Indian Railways, had surveyed the alignment and prepared the report.
Site inspections
Site inspections had been carried out by E. Sreedharan, then with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, along with RITES and PWD officials.
Two alignments had to be prepared at Beypore and Ponnani following objections from the Ports Department, said Mr. Narayanan, who retired as Superintending Engineer, PWD, North Kerala.
The ocean-drive highway has immense potential for commercialisation, especially in the tourism sector. Besides, it can route container movement from the International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadom, he said.
