Kerala’s 702-Km NH Corridor Nears Completion; 590 Km Ready

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s 702-km-long Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram National Highway corridor is nearing completion, with 590 km already finished, according to official figures. Construction of the remaining 16 stretches across the state is in the final phase, and six of them have crossed 80 per cent progress. Eleven stretches have been opened for traffic so far.

The National Highways Authority said the entire six-lane project is expected to be completed this year. Once operational, vehicles will be able to travel at speeds of up to 100 km per hour. The travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi is expected to reduce to around three hours, while the journey from the state capital to Kasaragod may take about nine hours.

Work is progressing slowly in a few locations, including Vadakara, Thuravoor and parts of Thiruvananthapuram. The Chief Minister has asked the National Highways Authority to take strict action against contractors responsible for delays.

The completed stretches include Valanchery–Kappirikkad, Ramanattukara–Valanchery, Thalappady–Chengala, Kozhikode Bypass, Nileshwaram Town ROB, Edappally–Vyttila–Aroor, Karode–Mukkola, Mukkola–Kazhakkoottam, Kazhakkoottam Flyover, Thalassery–Mahe Bypass and the Moorad–Paloli bridge.

Kerala has borne 25 per cent of the land acquisition cost for the project, becoming the first state in the country to share such expenditure for national highway development. The state government handed over 5,580.73 crore to the National Highways Authority for this purpose. The project, which had stalled during the previous UDF government, was revived during the first Pinarayi Vijayan government.