Kerala’s longest elevated highway work gains pace

KOCHI: The construction of the state’s longest elevated highway, stretching from Edappally in Ernakulam district to Thuravoor in Alappuzha district, has received a huge boost with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) preparing to install pier cap beams on the 12.75km Aroor-Thuravoor stretch of NH 66. So far, work on 300 pillars has been completed on that particular stretch.

The installation of the pier cap beams will mark the completion of a significant phase in the construction of the elevated highway, work on which began a few months ago. To facilitate work on the busy stretch, the Ernakulam district administration has decided to impose a major traffic diversion. According to a statement issued by District Collector N S K Umesh, heavy vehicles will be diverted from the stretch between Thuravoor and Kundannoor. Vehicles equipped with containerised bodies exceeding a height of 4.5 metres, and coming from the northern districts en route to destinations like Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, have been directed to take the MC Road via Angamaly.