The 17-km Edappally-Aroor NH 66 Bypass will get an elevated highway by May 2027, if everything goes according to plan.
The detailed project report (DPR) for the structure that was awaited in December 2023 will be finalised in March, it is learnt. It will be followed by tenders being invited in April and the bid being finalised in May. The construction work will begin soon after, and vehicles will be diverted mainly through service roads, sources said.
The elevated highway is crucial to ensuring six-lane width on the entire NH 66 that passes through the State, especially so since much of the Edappally-Aroor bypass has only four-lane width. The stretch has now got the much-needed attention since it has been included in the Bharatamala project.
The NHAI will take a call on how best to integrate the elevated highway with flyovers at four major junctions on the NH bypass. The option of constructing it parallel to the flyovers, too will be probed, the sources added.
A decision on widening junctions is expected to be taken based on the suggestions of the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC).
The NHAI mulled an elevated highway as the Edappally-Aroor bypass is the busiest highway stretch in Kerala and is used by one lakh passenger car units (PCUs) every day. Widening the largely four-lane stretch by integrating the NH carriageway with service roads was cited as a tough proposition since both sides are heavily built up.
But a decision was delayed even as work on an elevated highway began on the 13-km Aroor-Thuravur stretch in early 2023. Approximately 15% of its work is over, and it is expected to be thrown open to vehicles in 2026. This will result in influx of more number of vehicles from Aroor and also from the upcoming six-lane NH 66 corridor north of Edappally where the highway widening is expected to get over by 2025.
Published - February 10, 2024 12:36 am IST
