The National Highways Authority of India has floated an engineering, procurement and construction tender worth around Rs 9592.5 mn for safety upgrades on the Kazhakkoottam–Kadampattukonam stretch of NH 66. The works will include 12 viaducts, a cut-and-cover tunnel and additional pedestrian underpasses to improve road safety and traffic movement. The tender was issued on Monday and bids are invited for a period of 45 days with opening after the submission deadline on August 21. The project has an 18-month completion timeline followed by a 10-year maintenance period and will cover sites including Technopark Phase-IV, CRPF Pallipuram and Mamom near the Attingal bypass. The additional structures were introduced after a detailed safety review of the NH 66 widening project following a series of accidents in Kollam and Malappuram. NHAI indicated the works are fresh safety interventions distinct from the main six-laning programme. Officials cautioned that the additional works could affect the schedule of the already delayed highway project, while noting that the safety structures will be executed under a fresh EPC contract. The Kazhakkoottam–Kadampattukonam section forms part of Kerala's six-laning programme and the ongoing highway works are being carried out by Pune-based RKC Infrastructure Ltd under an earlier agreement. The deadline for the ongoing package has been extended until March 31, 2027. A senior NHAI official said the new safety works would not delay ongoing construction and that traffic movement would not be disrupted once the current work is completed, citing terrain vulnerability due to heavy rainfall in the region. The contractor reported around 75 per cent physical progress on the package and nearly 80 per cent completion of service roads along the corridor, which has improved local connectivity as main carriageway works continue. The corridor links Thiruvananthapuram with northern districts and serves heavy passenger and freight traffic to the Vizhinjam International Seaport.