THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The construction of the Kazhakoottam-Parippally NH-66 stretch is likely to begin in the first week of July with the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari officially laying the foundation stone on June 30. The Union minister will also lay foundation stone for roads of NH-66 and NH-544 stretches which pass through other districts as well as part of Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme.
Earlier, all the hurdles were cleared for the development of NH-66 bypass stretch at Kazhakoottam to Paripally at Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam border. The lone hurdle, the acquisition of 44 cents of land of Thiruarattukavu Devi temple at Attingal for constructing a bypass as part of the project, was settled following talks with the temple authorities. However, the six-lane widening work of the 29-kilometre stretch will begin only if weather permits.
Sources close to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the work could be started in the first week of July if rain stays away. “Preliminary work including soil testing and surveys is in progress. Some land owners have also started demolishing their buildings including houses and commercial establishments on their own.
After the completion of all the demolishing work, we will decide about trees on either side of the stretch and then start shifting the utilities including electric poles, transformers, BSNL cables and others. Similarly, the issue of acquisition of temple land for Attingal bypass has also been resolved,” a top NHAI official said.
As per NHAI sources, there will be four flyovers, 36 culverts, six minor bridges, three vehicular overpasses, five vehicular underpasses, six light vehicle underpasses, four small vehicular underpasses, three cattle underpasses, seven metre width 29 kilometre service road, 20 bus bays and five foot overbridges. The Attingal bypass will have a length of 11.15 kilometres. The estimated period of completion is two years from the start of construction.
Acquiring 44 cents belonging to the Thiruarattu temple is essential for the construction of the 11.15-km-long Attingal bypass. The contract agreement between NHAI and the RDS Limited was signed on May 20. The contract for the development of the stretch was awarded to RDS Projects Limited at a cost of Rs 790 crore. The Kazhakoottam-Parippally stretch is slated to be widened to 45 metres to facilitate the six-lane traffic. There will be service roads on either side and road safety measures will be put in place, as mandated by the Indian Road Congress.
Once the road is widened, the travel time from Kollam to Thiruvananthapuram, which normally takes 90 to 105 minutes during peak hours, will be reduced by 20 to 30 minutes. The Kazhakoottam-Parippally project has been conceived so that the NH deviates from Mamom Junction to a bypass road. From there, long-distance travellers need not touch Attingal town, a major traffic bottleneck. They will rejoin the main road at Ayamkonam near Kallambalam.
Projects worth Rs 40,453 crore
Nitin Gadkari to lay foundation stone for projects worth Rs 40,453 crore on NH-66 and NH-544 (total 403 kilometre length). The projects include six-laning of NH-66 from Edapally-Thuravoor in Ernakulam district, Thuravoor south to Paravoor bridge and Paravoor to Kottankulangara in Alappuzha district, Kottankulangara to Kollam bypass and Kollam bypass to Kadampattukonam in Kollam district and Kadampattukonam to Kazhakoottam in Thiruvananthapuram district.