Kochi bypass widening: pedestrian safety, fast commuting to be priorities of NHAI

Agency to shortlist design consultant for Edappally-Aroor stretch development

A host of safety and speed-related problems on the 16-km-long Edappally-Aroor NH bypass will be considered while widening the stretch into a six-lane corridor, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) sources said.

The agency is getting ready to shortlist a design consultant to ready a detailed project report (DPR) for the six-laning work of the corridor, as part of works to develop the Kozhikode-Edappally-Aroor stretch of NH 66 as a six-lane national highway.

Over the past years, road users and others were complaining of unsafe pedestrian crossing points, inadequate width of the tarred surface of service roads, waterlogging due to absence of drains, absence of cats eyes and other reflectors, and inadequate lighting and sign boards on much of the corridor. Problems posed by unscientific location of bus stops, especially at entry points from service roads, thus causing blind spots, encroachments into service roads and haphazard parking were cited among the reasons for accidents and traffic snarls at frequent intervals on the stretch.