The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved the long-awaited Angamaly-Kundannur NH bypass that was mooted by the agency in 2016, to decongest the Edappally-Aroor NH 66 bypass and the Edapally-Angamaly NH 544 stretch.
The preliminary alignment for the proposed 50-km-long, six-lane greenfield NH bypass that is expected to begin a little north of Angamaly and end south of Kundannur Junction, was readied with the help of a private agency.
Details of the alignment will be handed to the Revenue department for commencing land acquisition, which will in turn verify the survey numbers and go on to publish the 3-A notification, said Padmachandra Kurup, Special Deputy Collector for NH 66.
The proposed bypass that will pass through less-populated areas was conceived under the Centre’s Bharatamala project. From Angamaly, it will pass through Aluva, Kunnathunad and Kanayannur taluks, covering 17 villages and will run roughly 10 km east of the Edappally-Aroor NH bypass and NH 544.
Sources in the NHAI said a finality on the alignment is expected to be arrived at later this month, after the agency’s land acquisition committee took a call on the preliminary alignment. The partially access-controlled corridor will converge with the proposed Kochi-Theni four-lane greenfield NH 85 at either Puthen Cruz or Thripunithura. The two corridors will then have a common six-lane alignment till they meet the Edappally-Aroor NH bypass south of Kundannur Junction. All these NH stretches will be flanked by a pair of two-lane service roads having tarred carriageway that will have width ranging from 7 metres to 10 metres, as specified in the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines. The service roads will, in addition, have paved shoulders.
The Angamaly-Kundannur greenfield NH bypass will lead to Kochi city expanding towards its suburbs, especially Kalady, Perumbavoor, Puthen Cruz, and Thripunithura. Connectivity roads from the corridor must be developed to link nearby districts, said K.M. Baby Kurungattu, who resides a little away from the proposed alignment. “This will also enable people, including tourists, to commute faster. The railways must, in addition, provide halt/stop to more trains at Thripunithura, near which the Kochi metro’s terminal station is coming up. This will decongest Kochi city,” he added.
Another resident R. Varghese hoped that the NHAI would provide sound compensation to those who surrendered their land for the project, especially since the alignment passed through towns where land value was high.
