Six-laning of Edappally-Kozhikode NH set to begin soon
The Hindu
Corridor is expected to lessen commuting time from over 5 hours to less than 3 hours
The work to develop the Edappally-Kozhikode NH 66 corridor as a six-lane access-controlled stretch is set to begin shortly in Ernakulam district, where 25% of the compensation amount to people who surrendered their land has been disbursed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Similarly, compensation has been disbursed to 90% of the landowners in Malappuram and 80% in Thrissur. The six-lane corridor will be flanked by two-lane service roads on either side, each having seven metre-tarred carriageway. This will lessen commuting time from Kochi to Kozhikode from over five hours to less than three hours, official sources said.
A total of about ₹4,000 crore has been disbursed so far as compensation through deputy collectors who were entrusted with land acquisition. Contractors have been finalised to execute the widening work in different reaches of the national highway. The Edappally-Kozhikode stretch is expected to be widened as a six-lane highway in about three years, with the NHAI fixing a 30-month deadline once the widening work begins.