he development of at least two roads – the four-laning of the Kozhikode Bypass and the coastal highway from Vallarpadam to Kozhikode – is expected to ease the traffic congestion in the city.
Both these proposals figured in the Rs.34,000-crore development fund announced by Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
However, the massive allocation comes with a string attached that the Centre was willing to take up the works only if the State government acquired the land and handed over to the Ministry.
The announcement comes at a time when the construction of the fifth and the final portion of Kozhikode Bypass is progressing quickly.
The 28.12-km Kozhikode Bypass forms part of the National Highway No.17 that stretches from Vengalam to Idimuzhikkal. But it is a two-lane road and jamming is already experienced at the Malaparamba, Thondayad, HiLite and Ramanattukara junctions.
Incidentally, the Kozhikode Bypass is the first NH to be fully funded by the State government. This was because the government had found that the acquisition of land for the purpose under the National Highway Development Project got delayed, officials said.
They said that the project had been conceived as a four-lane carriageway about 25 years ago. Acquisition of land played spoilsport right from the infancy of the project. At some places, land had been acquired for the four-lane road. Still it will be a herculean task to acquire land on the entire stretch. Construction of two bridges across rivers Korappuzha and Purakkateri is progressing.
The coastal highway project from Vallarpadam to Kozhikode gives a glimmer of hope to resolve the traffic jams on many highways passing through major towns and cities. The proposed 72-km highway from Vengalam in Kozhikode district to Ponnani in Malappuram would be part of the new project. The distance between Kochi and Kozhikode will be reduced by nearly 40 km. The project cost estimated five years ago was Rs.2,500 crore as it involved rehabilitation of thousands of families. Now the cost would be much higher considering the market value of land, officials said.
Kozhikode Bypass is the first NH to be fully funded by the State government.
Gadkari has announced Rs.34,000 crore for road projects in State
