KOCHI: After two decades of delays, work under the second phase of the Seaport-Airport Road, in the 2.7-km-long stretch between HMT in Kalamassery to Naval Armament Depot (NAD) between South Kalamassery and Aluva, is expected to begin soon as the project has received technical sanction from the government.
Industries Minister P Rajeeve on Saturday said tender proceedings would begin at the earliest. “We have purchased land for around 500m from the HMT. Land for further construction has also been purchased from NAD and handed over to Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd (RBDCK), On Saturday, we received technical sanction to start tender proceedings,” Rajeeve said, adding that the tender notice for the HMT-NAD stretch construction will be issued on Tuesday.
Work on the 25.7-km Seaport-Airport Road, extending from Irumpanam to Nedumbassery, was halted following land acquisition issues. The HMT land in Kalamassery was at the centre of the dispute.
Construction of the 2-km road on available land from HMT to NAD was completed in 2022, except for the portions owned by the two entities. The government sanctioned `37.50 crore to purchase HMT land, while 2.4967 hectares of NAD land was acquired and handed over to RBDCK after the state allotted `32.26 crore. The Seaport-Airport Road project is a vital corridor designed to decongest the city and provide a faster route to Kochi airport.