The Public Works Department (PWD) has accorded administrative sanction of ₹447.15 crore for constructing a flyover at Kundara Pallimukku and converting the 3-km stretch from Koyikkal Junction to Karikode Junction into a four-lane road.
Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma, who is also Minister in-charge of the district, had held discussions with PWD Minister G.Sudhakaran and Finance Minister Thomas Isaac in this regard.
Since the new bypass is connected to NH 744, congestion between Koyikkal and Karikode junctions has intensified and the project was conceived in consultation with the departments concerned to ease traffic snarls on the stretch.
As part of the project, the rail overbridges at Moonamkutty and Karikode will be demolished and new four-lane bridges will be constructed.
The narrow bridge at Kallumthazham will also be converted into a four-lane bridge. An estimate of ₹280.15 crore has been prepared for the project.
Kundara Pallimukku Junction will have a flyover and a new rail overbridge (ROB) to eliminate the level crossing gate. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board had given sanction for the ROB but later it was decided to construct a flyover also on the National Highway to make the traffic flow more hassle-free. The estimate of the project is ₹166.58 crore.
