The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would take a call on constructing an elevated highway in the 17-km Edappally-Aroor NH 66 bypass soon after the Lok Sabha poll results are out, even as the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) is in its final stage, sources said.
As per plan, the DPR was to be finalised in March, followed by invitation of tenders in April and finalisation of the bid in May. With the DPR not yet finalised, the agency is expected to take a call on the project after the results are out. The NHAI mulled the six-lane elevated highway along what has come to be the most congested corridor in Kerala on NH 66, considering that it is heavily built up on both sides.
The DPR is being readied by the same firm that prepared the DPR for the elevated highway over the 13-km Aroor-Thuravur stretch. Over 20% of the work is over, and efforts are on to complete the work by the end of 2025 since the contracting firm is executing the work faster than was expected, the sources added.
This elevated corridor was initially slated to be thrown open to vehicles in 2026. The congestion on the Edappally-Aroor Bypass is set to get worse, once this elevated corridor is built and six-laning of the Edappally-Muthakunnam stretch of NH 66 is completed, by 2025 end.
“Aimed at decongesting Edappally Junction, we would strive to construct a pair of six-lane underpasses on either side of the Edappally flyover, alongside work on the proposed elevated highway. In the remaining junctions, the elevated corridor would in all probability be built parallel to the flyovers at Palarivattom, Vyttila, and Kundannur. Minimal land acquisition might be necessary, especially at Vyttila and Kundannur. Land might be acquired under the National Highways Act since it entails lesser number of procedures than the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LAARA), 2013, the sources said.
Once the piling begins, the elevated highway is expected to be completed within 30 to 36 months. Vehicles will have to be diverted, including through service roads, it is learnt.
