The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded the contract for the development of a comprehensive project report (DPR) for an elevated highway along the 16 km long Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass.

The DPR for this six-lane elevated highway project, similar to the ongoing construction of a 13 km elevated highway on the Aroor-Thuravur NH 66 corridor, is expected to be ready for submission by the end of the current year. Tenders for project implementation will then be released in early 2024. While the 13km elevated highway south of Aroor is expected to be operational in 2025, the elevated section of 16km to the north is expected to be completed around 2027.

The need for an elevated highway on the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass arose from heavy congestion on the predominantly four-lane road, even with the presence of four flyovers. With about one lakh passenger car unit using this stretch daily, an eight-lane highway is needed to accommodate traffic. This section on NH 66 in Kerala is the only one that may not meet the 2025 deadline for completing NH development in the state.

Once the DPR is completed, decisions will be made on the parts of the existing NH Bypass to be barricaded for the construction of the elevated structure.

The NHAI had previously proposed a trumpet flyover south of Kundannoor to ensure a smooth merging of traffic from the proposed Kundannoor-Angamaly NH Bypass and the Kochi-Theni Greenfield NH. The DPR will also look into this issue.