The widening works of the NH 66 stretch from Thalappady in Kasaragod to Kazhakkoottam in Thiruvananthapuram received a shot in the arm with the Taliparamaba-Muzhippilangad reach getting the approval of Standing Finance Committee (SFC) for four stretches of NH 66 where land acquisition work is in the final stages. The stretches include Talapady-Chengala, Chengala-Neeleshwar, Neeleshawar-Taliparamba and Taliparamba-Muzhuppliangad involving a combined investment of ₹1,428 crore. The Neeleshwar rail overbridge, Kazhakoottam flyover and bridges at Moorad and Paloli are being completed as standalone projects. While work on Thalassery-Mahe bypass is underway, work on Kozhikode bypass was stalled due to financial troubles faced by the company that was awarded the contract and ₹1,234 crore of the total ₹1,428 crore, earmarked for civil works in the four stretches, will be disbursed for land acquisition. The timeline for completion is 30 months. The works include the construction of a major bridge, three minor bridges, 91 culverts, five flyovers and five viaducts. The total extent of the reach is 29.94 km and the project also envisages construction of 38.45 km of the service road and slip roads.
