NHAI awards tender for elevated highway on Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has granted the contract to develop a comprehensive project report (DPR) for an elevated highway along the 16-km Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass.The DPR for this six-lane elevated highway project, similar to the ongoing construction of a 13-km elevated highway on the Aroor-Thuravur NH 66 corridor, is expected to be ready for submission by the end of the current year. Subsequently, tenders for project execution will be released in early 2024. While the 13-km elevated highway south of Aroor is projected to be operational by 2025, the 16-km elevated section to the north is anticipated to be completed around 2027.The need for an elevated highway on the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass arose due to heavy congestion on the predominantly four-lane road, even with the presence of four flyovers. With approximately one lakh passenger car units using this stretch daily, an eight-lane highway is necessary to accommodate the traffic. This section on NH 66 in Kerala is the only one that may not meet the 2025 deadline for completing NH development in the state.Sources suggest that the agency responsible for preparing the DPR will soon conduct a survey along the corridor. They will also determine how to integrate the existing four flyovers with the elevated highway and assess the requirement for entry and exit ramps at specific locations to allow motorists to divert towards side roads.Once the DPR is completed, decisions will be made regarding the sections of the existing NH Bypass that need to be barricaded for the construction of the elevated structure.The NHAI had previously proposed a trumpet flyover south of Kundannoor to ensure smooth traffic merging from the proposed Kundannoor-Angamaly NH Bypass and the Kochi-Theni Greenfield NH. The DPR will also address this matter.