NHAI nod for Rs 160-crore boost to develop Kochi-Munnar NH

KOCHI: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) sanctioned an additional Rs 160 crore for the ongoing development of the 124-km Kochi-Munnar national highway 85 (NH 85). The fresh funding aims to resolve bottlenecks due to land constraints and encroachments, ensuring a safer and more uniform transit corridor.While the project's standard design outlines a "two-lane road with paved shoulders" with 10m width, achieving this uniform width had previously proved challenging across several stretches."The new allocation guarantees that 10m minimum width will now be consistently maintained across a vital 78-km section of the highway," said Dean Kuriakose, MP."High-risk sharp curves will be straightened to the maximum extent possible. The safety measure requires dedicated land acquisition spanning a 1-km stretch," he added.Funds have been earmarked to shift Kerala Water Authority (KWA) pipelines out of the construction zone. This includes a 5.3-km stretch within Muvattupuzha municipality and a 13-km section under Kothamangalam municipality.New footpaths and integrated drainage systems will be constructed at multiple sites, covering a combined length of 2.5km. To improve public transit convenience, modern bus shelters will be built at 36 selected centres along the route.To facilitate widening in bottleneck areas where the highway currently falls short of the 10m standard, NHAI plans to acquire land across an additional total length of nearly 6km."A formal memorandum regarding this land acquisition has been submitted to relevant authorities," said Kuriakose.Meanwhile, the consultancy agency tasked with Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam bypass projects has finalized and submitted a fresh alignment proposal to NHAI. Construction work on these crucial bypasses is slated to begin as soon as the alignment receives final approval from Centre.