KOCHI: Motorists will be able to cover the 220-km long Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram stretch in just 2.5 hours, instead of the present five to six hours, once the NH-66 widening works get completed.
The six-laning of the NH-66 from Thalappady in Kasaragod to Mukkola in Thiruvananthapuram, spanning 644 km, is currently progressing. While four out of the total 22 stretches are set to be opened to traffic in a month’s time, over 60 per cent work has been completed in the remaining stretches.
“There will be no traffic signals and right turns on the entire stretch from Thiruvananthapruam to Kasaragod, except at Madavana Junction (Aroor-Edappally NH-66 bypass). The right turns and U-turns, which will slow down the traffic, won’t be allowed in the widened stretch. The vehicles need to take the service road and cross by using the underpasses to take a U-turn,” said a senior National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official. The design speed is 100 kmph.
For example, the Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway will have three exit ramps, leading to the service roads below. The same will come up at Aroor, near ‘Our Lady of Mercy Hospital’ at Chandiroor and Kuthiyathodu.
However, the time-saving will come at a price as the commuters will need to pay separate toll for using stretches like the 12.75-km-long Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway, which is under construction. In the Ernakulam-Alappuzha section alone, there will be three toll booths — at Kumbalam, Eramalloor (elevated highway) and at Kalavoor.
“The motorists, though, need to pay a separate toll, in addition to the fees being levied at Kumbalam toll plaza, for travel through the elevated highway, which is 24-metre wide. However, they have an option to use the service road below the stretch. The elevated highway is aimed at catering to the fast-flowing vehicles,” the official added.
Out of the total 22 stretches of NH-66 widening, the work on the Thalappady-Chengala (39 km), Vengalam–Ramanattukara (28.4 km), Ramanattukara-Valanchery (39.68 km) and Valanchery-Kapirikkad (37.35 km) has entered the final phase.
Among the remaining reaches, 65 per cent of the work of the Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway and 60 per cent of the widening work of Edappally-Moothakunnam section has been completed.
Meanwhile, the process to set up a new greenfield highway connecting Palakkad and Kozhikode will begin soon. “The tender to award the work for the 121-km-long proposed high-speed corridor will be floated soon,” the official said. The highway, which is proposed under the Bharatmala project, is expected to reduce travel time between Palakkad and Kozhikode to two hours and decongest the traffic on the existing NH 966.
Original completion date of NH-66 widening:
December 31, 2025
Anticipated completion of NH-66 widening: January 31, 2026
Designed speed of widened NH: 100 KMPH
Total kms being widened: 644 km (From Thalappady (Kasaragod) to Mukkola (T’Puram)
Total stretches of works: 22
Stretches of works in finishing stage: 4
Average percentage of work completed: 60
Percentage of work completed in Aroor-Thuravoor: 65
Percentage of work completed in Edappally-Moothakunnam: 60