Kochi: If the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has its way, an elevated flyover would come up in the Edapally-Aroor stretch in five years helping vehicles to cover the 17-km section without any bottlenecks. But the NHAI has dropped a similar plan to set up an elevated highway in the 25-km Edapally-Moothakunnam stretch after a study, done as part of preparing the detailed project report, cited that the estimated project cost for a flyover would be upto seven times higher than the alternative plan to widen the National Highway 17 stretch to 45 metres.
“The elevated flyover project in the NH-17 section is not feasible. If we go ahead with the project, the public will have to bear the brunt since the toll is calculated on the basis of project cost. Instead we are widening the highway there from 30 metres to 45 metres,” said Lokesh Singh Raj Purohit, Project Director, NHAI (Kochi). As per the plan for the elevated flyover in the Edapally-Aroor stretch, the vehicles will have no access to key junctions such as Palarivattom, Vytilla and Kundanoor, the official said. “However, the plan is yet to get final approval,” he said. M/s Feedback Infra Private is entrusted with the preparation of the DPR.
Earlier, the district administration had asked the NHAI to consider the feasibility of the project. The section from Edapally to Mootakunnam is 30-metres wide. The state government has promised to handover 7.5 metre land on either side of the highway so that it can be widened to 45 metres. The consultant appointed to prepare the DPR for widening of the NH-17 section will hand over the final alignment to the district collector on Friday.
