KOCHI: Even as protests galore over the state government’s decision to widen national highways to 45 meters, the Better Kochi Response Group, a Kochi based NGO has come out in support to the proposal.
According to S. Gopakumar, president of the organisation, the NHs need service roads, foot paths and earthen shoulders apart from the carriageways while reducing its width without considering the future traffic requirement will be suicidal. Knowing that the Centre has discounted National Highways’ width in Kerala from 60 m to 45 m, land owners, tenants and bar hotel owners are exerting pressure on the government to further reduce the width to 30 m.
As per his analysis, the carriage way on both sides should have a width of seven meters with an additional space of 0.25 meters while the central median would be about 4.5 meters wide so as to enable U-turns without obstructing traffic.
On the side of the carriage ways, there should be a paved shoulder of one meter and another one meter wide earthen shoulder. The service roads should have a width of 6 meters and alongside, a two meter wide foot path can be also setup.
Additional space will be required between the Highway and service roads for setting up drainages and retaining walls.
The organisation also counts on the possibility of authorities upgrading the Highways into xix lanes (three in each direction) without cross roads. ``If it is changed into a Free Way, you don't need 4.5 meter for the central median since no car can do U-Turns. The central median can be changed to 1.5 meter instead of 4.5 meter. The paved shoulders and earthen shoulder also can be avoided by giving proper service ducts. The space thus saved can be used to create the extra lane’’, explained Mr.Gopakumar.
EOM/hiran
