Nine districts, 643.295 km, one highway. Widening of the C, between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod by the National Highways Authority of India, is progressing in full swing. The target is to widen the NH-66 by 45m and this is being done by dividing the entire carriageway into 24 sections, with the Neeleshwaram Town ROB in Kasaragod being the shortest at just 0.78km and the Vengalam-Azhiyur stretch under Kozhikode being the longest at 40.8km.
The deadlines vary – four projects will be completed this year, 10 by 2024, six by 2025 and the last one, the 12.75-km-long Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway, by January 31, 2026. As of now, 40% of the work is over. The total estimate is D58,596.21 crore, the bulk of which is earmarked for land acquisition.
In this three-part series starting today, TNIE examines the progress of the work in north, central and south Kerala, whether there are any setbacks and also whether NHAI will be able to deliver on its promise by the stipulated deadline. We begin with north Kerala.