Proposed grade separator at Nanthoor offers seamless vehicular movement on NH 66

Nanthoor Junction vehicular overpass to offer seamless vehicular movement on NH 66 b/w Pumpwell & KPT. Grade separator approved, but traffic management still needed. Funds sanctioned, land acquisition caught in legal proceedings. Tweaking design to alleviate connectivity issues. Forest clearance needed to fell 230 trees.

The proposed vehicular overpass at Nanthoor Junction connecting KMC Mercara Trunk Road (from Kadri) and Bikarnakatte (NH 75) above NH 66 that passes beneath the overpass at a depth of 5.5 meters, will offer seamless vehicular movement on NH 66 between Pumpwell and KPT.

As per the approved design of the grade separator, vehicles on Kochi-Panvel National Highway 66 could move seamlessly towards KPT and beyond through the underpass that starts near the Sandesha Foundation and ends at Padua.

However, vehicles from Pumpwell towards Bikarnakatte, from KPT towards Kadri, from Bikarnakatte (B.C. Road) towards KPT and Kadri and from Kadri towards Pumpwell would come face to face thereby the junction still requiring traffic management arrangements.

Asked why a grade separator along with a flyover was not being considered, sources in the NHAI told The Hindu the proposal was sanctioned based on the feasibility study conducted about seven years ago. The traffic scenario has undergone massive changes since then; however, the project has to be implemented lest it gets postponed.

Funds for both Nanthoor (₹51 crore) and KPT (₹22 crore) Grade Separators were sanctioned from the Safety Funds of the Union Road Transport Ministry. Further, NHAI had only about 40 meters of land, including the existing four-lane highway on B.C. Road-Nanthoor NH 75 stretch near Nanthoor Junction. A flyover requires more land and its acquisition was still caught in legal proceedings, sources said.

For the same reason, NHAI has not proposed a vehicular overpass at Padua, another busy junction between Nathoor and KPT. NH 66 underpass becomes at-grade here and then again becomes an underpass to cross KPT Junction.

However, the Authority was making every effort to alleviate connectivity issues by tweaking the design and the plan to the extent possible, sources added.