Kerala cracks ₹9,213-cr six-lane Kochi-Theni NH project

The Kerala government is all set to widen the existing four-lane Kochi-Theni national highway into six-lane at a cost of ₹9,213 crore. The state has shelved the idea of extending the stretch into eight-lane but it can be widened into six-lane by making optimal use of available space on service roads and medians. Kochi-Theni national highway is 120 km of the 160-km-long Kochi-Theni NH-85 stretch in the state. The alignment to develop the corridor into a four-lane stretch is currently awaiting approval from the NHAI. It will pass through areas frozen three decades ago for the Thripunithura Bypass, where four of the total 16 hectares of land needed have been acquired. It will bypass Munnar to avoid high ranges but will, however, considerably lessen travel time from Kochi to Munnar since a link road will take off to the tourist locale from the highway.