NHAI expedites ₹2,400-cr highway project in Kochi

Construction work for the road project to widen the 25-km EdappallyKodungalloor NH 66 stretch into a six-lane highway is expected to begin shortly. It is part of the 164-km Edappally-Ramanattukara NH 66 stretch (of the MumbaiKanyakumari NH corridor), which falls under the Kochi project implementation unit of the NHAI awaiting six-laning at an investment of ₹2,400 crore. The stretch which begins at Edappally and ends at Ramanattukara in Kozhikode has been divided into five stretches. The portions north of the Edappally-Kodungallor stretch are Kodungalloor, Thalikulam, Kaprikkad, Valanchery and Ramanattukara and the widening will be effected on either side of the existing NH corridor with slight variations in alignment at a few places, mainly to straighten curves. The NHAI has deposited ₹2,400 crore of the₹3,200 crore total funds needed for the acquisition of 203 hectares of land. The agency has fixed a 30-month deadline to widen the congested corridor and it may go up to a maximum of 36 months.