KOCHI: After an initial delay due to land acquisition issues, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has expedited the Rs 1,618-crore project to widen the Edappally-Moothakunnam NH 66 stretch into a six-lane highway. The agency has completed 45 per cent of the work since the beginning of the project in October 2022. It has now set a revised target of June next year as the completion date.
“The original scheduled completion date is April 21, 2025, with a construction period of 910 days. Now, we aim to complete the work by June next and have stepped up the activities to meet the revised deadline,” said a senior NHAI official.
The 26.03-km stretch, from Edappally to Moothakunnam in Kodungallur, is the first of the five reaches of the 164-km Edappally-Ramanattukara (Kozhikode) NH 66 section, where the road widening exercise has been taken up. The works involve the construction of a Railway Overbridge (RoB) at Edappally, four flyovers, 7 major bridges, 8 minor bridges, 8 vehicle underpasses, 5 small vehicular underpasses, 4 light vehicular underpasses, and one pedestrian underpass.
Cantilever bridge
Of the seven major bridges, the one at Varappuzha is being constructed using the unique balanced cantilever method, which is used for long-span bridges.
“Here, the spans, ranging from 80 to 100 metres in length, are being constructed with enough gap between them so as to facilitate the passage of large boats through the Periyar River under the bridge. The total length of the bridge is 900 metres, and the space between two pillars is approximately 90 metres. Also, this type of bridge is easy to maintain and the mobility is also far better as there are fewer expansion joints than the normal ones,” the official added.
Straightened curves
Of the total 26 km, a new alignment has been worked out for a distance of 12 km, at various sections, to straighten the curves and provide a shorter route than the existing road. For example, in busy sections like Paravur, the new alignment will function as a bypass stretch, facilitating quicker and easier travel. In the remaining section, the widening will be effected on either side of the existing corridor.
“The six-lane highway is designed for a speed of 100 kmph. This means once the work is completed, the travelling time will be cut to half an hour. Further, flyovers will come up at busy sections like Edappally (before the Edappally mosque), Kunnumpuram and Cheranelloor. The construction of the piers for the same is nearing completion,” the official pointed out. Currently, it takes over an hour to cover the stretch from Edappally to Moothakunnam during peak hours.
The six-lane carriageway will be in addition to a pair of two-lane service roads which would have a seven-metre tarred carriageway on either side. NH-66 is a 1,611-km road starting from Panvel in Maharashtra and ending at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
Key obstacles
The NHAI also plans to construct two vehicle underpasses (VUPs) on either side of NH 66 towards Varappuzha and Vytilla to ease the traffic congestion at the busy intersection. The VUP entrances are slated to come up nearly 600 to 700 metres away from the Edappally Junction, one near Oberon Mall and the other near Lulu Mall Main gate (towards Varappuzha).
“However, a survey revealed that underground gas pipes are passing through the proposed site near Oberon Mall. We’ll soon hold consultations with the respective oil companies to arrive at a solution,” the NHAI official said.