Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (Keltron) has lit up the 13-km Kollam bypass from Kavanad to Mevaram by installing LED lights and streetlights on both sides.
Keltron, a public sector undertaking, has installed 415 140-watt streetlights and 15,700 lumens LED lights along the stretch.
The lights with a height of about 9 meters have been installed at a distance of 30 meters.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had given an order of ₹4.7 crore to Keltron for the project. Sodium lamps, incandescent lamps, mercury lamps, and tube lights were used to illuminate the bypass and ensure road safety.
Kollam bypass had recorded a high accident rate since the day it was thrown open for traffic.
There had been many head-on collisions and Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has registered a large number of cases.
Since the bypass is connected to three National Highways including NH 66, NH 183 and NH 744, it sees a heavy traffic flow on a regular basis.
The stretch also has some black spots that witnessed high number of accidents in areas like Kallumthazham, Mangad and Ayathil. The main reason cited by the motorists was the lack of proper illumination and the installation of new streetlights is expected to bring down the risk factor along the stretch.
