Giving a major boost to road infrastructure in Kerala, 13 National Highways (NH) projects were unveiled on 15 December by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari.

These projects worth Rs 45,536 crore include the longest 6-lane flyover in the country and will involve construction of 544-km length of roads in the state.

India’s Longest Elevated Highway

The longest 6-lane flyover in the country from Aroor to Thuravoor Thekku on NH-66 with a length of 13 km, will facilitate faster and hassle-free connectivity between Kerala and Karnataka, and also will reduce the transportation cost.

It will boost broad economic growth in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Kerala state.

The project to construct the elevated corridor is part of six-laning of NH-66 and is being carried out under Bharatmala Pariyojana on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode.

The contract for building the longest flyover has been awarded to Ashok Buildcon company based in Nasik, Maharashtra for Rs 1,668.50 crore and is expected to be completed in the next two years.

Currently, the longest elevated highway is 11.6-km PVNR Expressway connecting the Hyderabad International Airport with the city at Mehdipatnam.

Six-laning of NH-66

The National Highway 66, commonly referred to as NH 66 (erstwhile NH17 and a part of NH-47), is a busy National Highway that runs north–south along the western coast of India, parallel to the Western Ghats.

It connects Panvel (a city south of Mumbai) to Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari), passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The centre is working on upgrading this economic corridor connecting five states to a six-lane highway and two-lane service road on either side.

NH 66 is known as the lifeline of Kerala as it runs from Karnataka border in north to Tamil Nadu Border in south. Passing through nine districts, it stretches from Thalapady in Kasaragod to Karode in Thiruvananthapuram.

Almost all works of the highway stretch in the state have been awarded and the widened highway would be ready in three years.

Foundation stone was laid down for 12 projects from Azhiyur to Edapally and Aroor to Kazhakuttam. The 6-lane flyover from Aroor to Thuravoor is part of this package only.

These projects are instrumentals to growth of major and minor ports of Azhikkal, Beypore, Cochin, Kollam, and the under-construction Vizhinjam International Seaport.

The state can take advantage of this connectivity to develop the tourism sector, focusing on ayurveda.