In a bid to solve the road congestion enroute Nedumbassery airport, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has begun widening of the two-lane road from Athani to the international airport here.
If all goes well, the road widening work will be completed within a year. The existing two-lane road will pave way for a four-lane National Highway thus helping decongest the road. The construction work of the road alone is estimated to cost CIAL at least Rs 20 crore.
“The work has been in progress since January. If all goes well, we expect
to complete the road work within a year. As per plan, the widened road will cover a distance of 5 km. The road on the way to the golf course will also be covered,” said A C K Nair, director, CIAL.
According to CIAL officials, the road, once widened, is expected to straighten the curves and turnings between Athani and the airport which is currently a traffic bottleneck. This is very essential as the number of passengers who arrive at the airport has increased substantially over the past years.
However, CIAL officials said that to straighten the curves on the route, it was necessary to construct an RoB over the railway line which is on the way to the airport.
“We have conducted talks with the Railways in this regard. If the bridge becomes a reality, road widening to the airport will be complete. We are expecting positive responses for the same,” Nair added.
Meanwhile, construction of medians will also be taken up through the route. Saplings will also be planted to beautify the lane.