The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed 40% of the work to upgrade the 121-km-long Kochi-Munnar NH 85 corridor, under a ₹790-crore project.
The main focus of the upgradation work is to widen the tarred surface of the largely two-lane NH corridor, and to clear encroachers. The project is expected to be completed by June 2025, following which motorists to Munnar and other locales en route will be able to save considerably on their travel time. Considerable progress has been achieved in repairing the damaged parts of the road and also the work to construct drains, since inadequate drainage was causing potholes and undulations on the surface. Resurfacing using bituminous concrete was pending in the upgraded or redeveloped portions, said informed sources.
When informed about undulations and potholes on the road on the Kundannoor-Pettah stretch and the delay in completing the work on a culvert near Maradu, they said parts of the carriageway where paver blocks joined the tarred portion would be re-laid, to avoid motorists having to endure a bumpy ride. In addition, encroachers would be removed and lights installed on busy corridors, totalling 60 km in length, they said.
The upgradation works of the NH 85 corridor include building of paved shoulders, retention walls and drains wherever needed, to avert landslips like the ones that occur every year in the hilly or ghat areas en route to Munnar. A new bridge is being built at Neriamangalam. The upgraded highway will have a five-year defect-liability period, during which time the contractor will have to ensure its upkeep.
The movement of vehicles in the Kochi-Munnar NH 85 corridor is expected to be further streamlined when the NHAI readies 30-m-wide greenfield corridors to bypass Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam towns, by 2026. They will be 4.30-km and 3.80-km long, respectively.
As a long-term project, the NHAI has mulled a 151-km six-lane greenfield NH on the Kochi-Munnar-Theni stretch. The alignment for the ₹3,000-crore project is expected to pass through least built-up areas, including through areas where hills and valleys abound. It is awaiting the sanction of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, it is learnt.
