Motorists travelling along the Aroor-Thuravoor stretch of National Highway 66 are facing severe safety hazards as sand used for the elevated highway's approach road continues to leak onto the road below. The soil, escaping through gaps in the newly installed concrete retaining blocks, turns into slick, muddy slush during rains, making the surface extremely treacherous for two-wheelers.

At least four motorcyclists have skidded and fallen over the last two days just south of Thuravoor Junction. The retaining walls for the approach road are built using concrete interlocking blocks, with the inner cavity filled with sand. Local residents have raised concerns over the quality of construction, pointing out that poor sealing between the blocks is allowing the filler material to wash out onto the busy road.

Traffic chaos grips Thuravoor Junction
Alongside the safety hazards, commuters are grappling with unrelenting traffic congestion at Thuravoor Junction, where the elevated highway terminates. The ongoing construction of the highway pillars and the southern approach road has choked the arterial route, forcing heavy traffic onto narrow, single-lane service roads on either side.

The gridlock is further worsened by KSRTC and private buses stopping on the active driving lanes to board and alight passengers. Because of the current layout, buses frequently pull up close to open drains near the temporary stops, posing a severe threat to passengers and other road users, especially at night. Office-goers and school pupils during peak morning and evening hours bear the brunt of these delays.

Local residents and regular commuters suggest that shifting the existing bus stops to the north of the junction, where the elevated highway construction is already complete, would significantly ease the bottleneck and restore smooth traffic flow.