With the government giving the in-principle nod, decks have been cleared for the takeoff of two ambitious road infrastructure projects – Coastal Highway and Hill Highway – estimated to cost ₹10,000 crore.
The government had already notified the alignment of the proposed 656.5-km Coastal Highway that will traverse through nine districts of the State. Prepared by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac), the ₹6,500- crore Coastal Highway is aimed at improving the road connectivity of the coastal belt.
The coastal highway will start from Poovar in Thiruvananthapuram and end at Kunjathoor, near Thalapady, in Kasaragod. It will traverse through Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulum, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur districts. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared by the PWD to expedite the works.
The 1,267-km Hill Highway has been proposed from Nandarapppadavu in Kasaragod district to Kadukkara, near Parasala, in Thiruvananthapuram district. The proposed hill corridor will traverse through 13 districts of the State and cost ₹3,500 crore. Natpac has already finalised the alignment for the Hill Highway and prepared the DPR for 43 km in Kannur and Kasaragod districts.
KIIFB is to rope in Non-Resident Keralites for the Pravasi Chitty of the KSFE to mobilise funds for these two projects.
