As much as 418 km of national highway and State highway stretches in Kerala figures in the 6,005-km economic corridors, inter-corridors, feeder routes, and national corridors being developed to improve the efficiency of freight movement under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
The 418 km that has made it to the eight-package project of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is in two lots of 145 km and 273 km spread over eight corridors. The 27-km Kazhakuttam-Mukkola stretch of the National Highway (NH) 66 bypass that extends up to Karode figures in the Mumbai-Kanyakumari Economic Corridor. The 40-km NH 85 stretch from Theni to Munnar had made it to the Tuticorn-Kochi Economic Corridor.
The 54-km NH 544 stretch from Walayar to Wadakkanchery and the 64-km NH 544 busy corridor from Thrissur to Edappally have been included in the North-South National Corridor.
In the inter-corridor, the 14-km stretch of NH 966 from Palakkad to Mundur and the 51 km from Pallikuth to Kozhikode, and the 120-km NH 85 corridor from Munnar to Kochi have been included. The 48-km State highway from Mundur to Pallikuth figures in inter-corridor route proposed in the Kozhikode- Malappuram- Palakkad stretch.
According to the NHAI, these corridors are proposed for development to at least four-lane access controlled (fully access control for economic corridors). However, the DPR for access controlled six-laning and eight-laning may be required on certain stretches, depending on the traffic.
Keeping in view a futuristic approach, it has been decided that the land for any 4/6-lane highway road will be acquired with a right of way (RoW) of 60 m irrespective of the width of the carriageway.
All efforts shall be made to avoid any road alignment through national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
