The final alignment of the proposed 656.5-km Coastal Highway traversing through nine districts of the state has been recently approved by the Kerala government. The approval comes shortly after Chief Engineer (National Highways), Public Works Department, in his report stated that the alignment submitted by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) is feasible‘. The government has notified the approval of the alignment to take forward the project, which is aimed at improving the road connectivity of the coastal belt. The funds are to be mobilized from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) to finance the mega project that will start from Poovar in Thiruvananthapuram and end at Kunjathoor near Thalapady in Kasaragod crisscrossing through Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulum, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur districts, claimed official sources.
