Three national highways to take off from Kundannur

Work on to widen Kochi-Theni NH; DPR being readied for Kundannur-Angamaly bypass

Kundannur on the Edappally-Aroor NH 66 Bypass will become a converging point of multiple highway stretches, with work under way to widen the Kochi-Theni NH 85 stretch, which takes off from the junction, and the detailed project report (DPR) for the Kundannur-Angamaly NH 66 Bypass getting ready.

According to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) proposal, the Kundannur-Angamaly NH Bypass will begin south of the junction, in order to stay clear of high-rises that abound at the junction. Its greenfield alignment through Puthen Cruz had been chosen two years ago from among three options, and its DPR is getting ready. It has been included in the Centre’s Bharatmala project which aims to link major NH corridors, since it joins NH 66 at Angamaly, official sources said.

The DPR will take into account expected traffic and deviation, if any, that is required in the alignment. The Revenue Department can begin land acquisition once the State government and the NHAI approve the DPR. A consultant for the project was appointed two months ago. The NHAI proposed the alternative bypass in order to decongest and lessen accidents on the 16-km-long Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass, where around one lack passenger car units (PCUs) cross junctions like Vyttila and Kundannur, and the Edappally-Angamaly NH 66 stretch.

This calls for an eight-lane stretch, which is not possible, since both sides of the existing bypass are heavily built up. The maximum that can be done is to widen the predominantly four-lane stretch to six-lane by making optimal use of space on service roads and medians, the sources said.

Kochi-Theni NH

Altogether, 120 km of the 160-km-long Kochi-Theni NH 85 stretch is in Kerala. The alignment to develop the corridor into a four-lane stretch at a cost of ₹9,213 crore is ready and is awaiting approval from the NHAI. It will pass through areas frozen three decades ago for the Thripunithura Bypass, where four of the total 16 hectares needed have been acquired. It will bypass Munnar, to avoid high ranges. This will, however, considerably lessen travel time from Kochi to Munnar, since a link road will take off to the tourist locale from the highway, officials said.

The District Collectors of Ernakulam and Idukki have been requested to depute personnel to acquire land to develop the NH, it is learnt.