The completion of the National Highway 66 widening project in Kerala is likely to take several more years, as construction of additional flyovers and underpasses proposed under revised plans has not yet been formally ordered and is not part of the ongoing contracts.

Contractors have excluded these stretches from their current construction schedules as they await formal orders to execute the additional structures. The changes were proposed after public demands prompted authorities to move away from the original project designs.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) may receive requests from contractors seeking extensions, citing delays caused by the additional public demands and subsequent changes to the project plans.

The issue affects several stretches in Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kasaragod and Kozhikode districts, where the proposed flyovers and underpasses have been excluded from the ongoing construction works.

A shortage of construction materials has also affected the pace of work. The NHAI has issued slow-progress notices to contractors in stretches where construction has been lagging.

Service roads face width constraints
The construction of service roads has also run into difficulties. The prescribed width of a service road is seven metres, including a 1.5-metre drainage system. However, this specification has not been met in several stretches across the districts through which the highway passes.

The lack of available land has emerged as a major constraint. The NHAI has maintained that the width of service roads can be increased if the state government is willing to acquire and provide the additional land required.

The National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) had earlier identified safety deficiencies in the service roads.