Govt speeds up 657-km coastal highway

In an attempt to fast track the 657 km-long coastal highway traversing through nine districts of Kerala, the state government has readied the final alignment and submitted the report to the concerned agencies. The project has been aimed at improving the road connectivity of the coastal belt, the highway starts from Poovar in Thiruvananthapuram and ends at Kunjathoor near Thalapady in Kasaragod. It will pass through Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulum, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur districts, said official sources, claiming that the recommended width of the highway is 12 metres with a carriageway width of 7 metres. However, as per the local conditions and availability of land, the carriageway width and right of way can be limited to 5.5 metres and 8 metres, respectively. The report was handed over to Chief Engineer, PWD, NH, K. P. Prabhakaran by Director in charge, Natpac, R. Prakash Kumar. In Phase I, 64 km is to be taken up and 246, 104 and 43 km in Phase II, Phase III, and Phase IV, respectively. It will involve construction of four ROBs, 14 bridges, and four flyovers, they claimed.