NHAI moots elevated highway on Aroor-Thuravur stretch

The proposal is in view of the high cost of land acquisition

An elevated six-lane highway is being considered on the 15-km-long Aroor-Thuravur National Highway corridor, which forms part of the 220-km Kozhikode (Ramanattukara)-Thuravur stretch that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has shortlisted for widening as a six-lane corridor flanked by service roads on either side.

The proposal was mooted by the NHAI considering the high cost of land acquisition on the stretch, which is heavily built up on either side. Else, the market price and 100% solatium will have to be given to land owners, a cumbersome and time-consuming process. It has been estimated that a flyover over the existing four-lane NH can be built at a cost of ₹1,300 crore. The cost of acquiring land too works out to as much. A tender has been floated to ready a DPR for the six-lane project, official sources said.

On why the NHAI did not consider the demand from NGOs who are on the warpath against a second round of eviction on the 22-km Moothakunnam-Edappally stretch, for an elevated highway, they said that the 30-metre-wide land that had been acquired over two decades ago had already been frozen by the State government and the NHAI. Else, the DPR consultant should suggest it as a feasible and cost-effective alternative. The pros and cons of an NH alignment will be compared every 100 metres, the sources said.

On the urgent need to widen the Ramanattukara-Thuravur stretch into six-lane, they said any NH stretch must be widened to four-lane when the daily passenger car units (PCUs) cross 20,000. “The stretch is currently used by over 40,000 PCUs every day, and the number of vehicles is going up, for which at least a six-lane highway, flanked by service roads is needed. This will lessen commuting time from Kozhikode to Kochi from six hours to three hours. Besides, it will lessen accidents, fuel consumption, and pollution. Home to over a crore of vehicles, Kerala needs sustainable highways,” they said.

Sadly enough, most parts of the Moothakunnam-Edappally NH are not two-lane, they added.

It has to be seen how the NHAI will tackle the burgeoning traffic on the 16-km-long Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass stretch, where one lakh PCUs cross junctions like Vyttila and Kundannur. The agency will have to work out a solution to traffic hold-ups on the 6-km-long, four-lane Edappally-Vyttila stretch. It had in 2017 mooted widening of the stretch to six-lane, by making optimal use of space on medians and service roads.

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