NH 66 development in Kollam turns dangerous as illegal parking, street vending go unchecked

While Kollam eagerly awaits the completion of the National Highway 66 (NH 66) expansion, the newly paved stretches are rapidly transforming into perilous zones. Poor planning, unauthorised roadside parking, illegal street vending, and a lack of basic safety measures are casting a dark shadow over the benefits of a wider highway.

Gridlock and cratered roads at Ithikkara
The ongoing expansion has brought immense misery to commuters at Ithikkara, where deteriorating road conditions and massive traffic bottlenecks have become a daily ordeal. The stretch from Ithikkara curve to the nearby mosque is riddled with massive craters, causing frequent minor and major accidents. Pedestrians, including school children, are forced to risk their lives walking along the Ithikkara bridge due to the lack of dedicated footpaths. During peak hours, traffic jams stretch from Mylakkad to Thirumukku, leaving even emergency ambulances stranded. Despite mounting complaints, the contracting firm has shown severe negligence in carrying out even temporary road maintenance. Residents also warn that the unscientifically designed underpass at Ithikkara will likely worsen traffic woes once the highway becomes fully operational.

Chaos at key intersections in Oachira
Several spots along the highway, including the Oachira Premier Junction underpass, Changanankulangara, and Vavvakkavu Junction, have emerged as highly dangerous zones. At Premier Junction, vehicles merging onto the main bypass and service roads from local routes frequently collide due to the absence of speed limits and warning signs. In the last year alone, five lives have been lost in this sector, highlighting the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) failure to implement basic safety measures at critical merge points.

Illegal parking clogs Karunagappally
In Karunagappally, particularly around Lalaji Junction and the Civil Station area, rampant roadside parking has severely shrunk the navigable width of the highway. With construction still in progress, haphazardly parked heavy vehicles force traffic into narrow corridors, drastically increasing the likelihood of side-swipe collisions.

Kundara-Kottiyam stretch becomes a killing zone
The busy corridor connecting Hospital Mukku and Kottiyam has recorded some of the highest accident-related fatalities in the region, particularly the Perumpuzha-Kureepally stretch, which claimed the lives of four young men this year. At Umayanalloor and Kottiyam, unauthorised fish stalls on the roadside force motorists to brake abruptly, leading to pile-ups. Furthermore, large cargo trucks regularly park on the highway and service roads at night to offload goods to smaller vehicles without using hazard lights, creating invisible obstacles for fast-moving night traffic.

Rising fatalities in Chavara sector
Stretches such as Neendakara, Puthenthura, and Edappallikkotta are witnessing a sudden spike in fatal accidents. While the construction phase initially slowed down traffic, preventing severe high-speed crashes, the partial opening of completed stretches has led to speeding. This year has already seen six road deaths in the area, prompting fears of a catastrophic rise in accidents once the highway is fully opened to high-speed traffic.

A father's grief: 'Nothing has changed even after my son's death'
The human cost of this systemic negligence is devastatingly clear. Just weeks after eight people died in a horrific crash in Thrissur after hitting a stationary lorry, Shajahan of Perumpuzha recounts a similar tragedy that stole his 37-year-old son, Ahmed Shaji. On 18 October, Shaji—a marine engineer who lived in Germany with his family—and his friend Salman were killed at 4:30 AM when their motorcycle crashed into a parked truck that had no parking lights on. 'Even 18 days after losing my son, I drove past the exact same spot and saw two heavy trucks parked in the dark with no warning lights on a dangerous curve,' says Shajahan. 'It is disheartening that authorities refuse to act even after losing innocent lives. Shaji loved cars and kept his vehicles in pristine condition. He was always at the forefront of local rescue operations, but when his time came, illegal parking cut his life short.'