The detailed project report (DPR) for the greenfield alignment of Kochi-Theni NH 85, which the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would develop as a four-lane stretch to establish port-to-port connectivity between Kochi and Tuticorin, is expected to be readied by September end, it is learnt.
The alignment that would begin from the southern side of the Kundannoor Junction on the NH bypass would pass through vacant or least built-up spaces in order to avoid curves and ensure speedy land acquisition, sources said.
The four-lane NH will be flanked by service roads on either side.
Thripunithura bypass
However, it is not yet clear whether land that had been acquired three decades ago by the PWD (NH wing) for the Thripunithura bypass will be integrated with the greenfield alignment that is being finalised. The PWD had earlier this year requested the NHAI to include the entire 8-km-long bypass in the alignment of the proposed greenfield NH, and not just the Mattakuzhy-Thiruvankulam stretch where land acquisition got over.
Routing the approximately ₹9,213 crore greenfield NH through the alignment that had been fixed 30 years ago for the bypass might cause curves beyond the permissible limit. This is apart from potential problems that could occur like litigation over ownership of land and problems associated with clearing encroachments, sources said.
Once the greenfield NH is commissioned, the existing Kochi-Munnar NH, which is now maintained by PWD (NH wing) using funds issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), will be handed over to the State government. The Thripunithura bypass had been included in the Bharatamala Pariyojana NH development project in December 2020.
The proposed NH corridor will link Kochi port located on the western side of the Indian peninsula with Tuticorin on the eastern side, they added.
