On Saturday, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) declared the construction of a 187-km-long road in Kerala at Rs 21,271 crore in a major boost to the state's road infrastructure. The major projects among these are 120 km Palakkad-Malappuram-Kozhikode Greenfield Highway, 59 km Shenkottai-Kollam Greenfield Highway, and 12.34 km elevated highway between Thuravoor to Aroor. NHAI chairperson Alka Upadhyaya said the work on six projects would begin within a couple of months. NHAI has finished the construction work of a total of 177 km of road network in the state. The construction work of a 403-km road project worth Rs 34,972 crore is now underway. In addition, six projects are about to start in a couple of months for 187 km with an overall cost of Rs 21,271 crore, she said, inaugurating the two-day Regional Officers Conference in Kochi. The conference is a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings together NHAI officials and regional stakeholders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu on a common forum to share achievements, knowledge, and challenges. The 121-km-long Palakkad-Malappuram-Kozhikode Greenfield Highway will reduce traffic on the current NH 966. The total period required to cover the distance will be decreased to one-and-a-half hours from three-and-a-half hours. This will promote the development of remote regions of the Palakkad and Malappuram districts. Upadhyaya said it would also help enhance inter-state connectivity between Tamil Nadu and northern Kerala. The chairperson said that the elevated highway between Thuravoor and Aroor in the Alappuzha district would be the longest six-lane elevated highway in the state to date. R K Pandey, a member (Projects, NHA), told the media that the expansion of the NH stretch between Aroor and Kazhakkoottam will be finished in three years. Almost all of the construction work on the stretch has been awarded. Only a few construction works are remaining to be approved. The Aroor and Kazhakkoottam stretch will be a 10-lane road, including service roads in three years, Pandey said. Image Source Also read: First phase of Althara-Attakulangara smart road project work starts