One among the two tunnels to avert traffic congestion in the Kuthiran region of busy National Highway 544 stretch between Palakkad and Thrissur will be opened for vehicular traffic by the beginning of January.
Construction works of the left tunnel with a distance of two km inside the forest area in Kuthiran are in the final stage while the right tunnel will be ready by March end.
Done as part of the six-lining works of Mannuthi-Vadakkanchery portion of the National Highway the tunnels can reduce considerably the travel hours between Kochi and Coimbatore. Vehicles require about three hours from Kochi to Coimbatore after completion of the tunnels in the Kuthiran Hills, where the narrow roads meandering through ghat sections presently creating frequent traffic snarls.
According to National Highway Authority of India, concreting and drainage construction works inside the left tunnel are fast progressing and the electrification will soon be initiated. Each tunnel can provide three line traffic facilities avoiding the climbing of the hill causing congestion.
Works of the two tunnels with a length of 300 metres which can interlink the right and left tunnels are also in the final stage. The two major tunnels are located in a gap of 20 metres. The drilling works were conducted using a machine known as boomer. Each tunnel is now having 13 metres width and 10 metres height.
Though it began in 2009 with a set deadline of 2012, the six-lining works lagged far behind schedule due to the hurdles posed by land acquisition issues. After completion, the new facility will turn to be the ‘largest’ twin tube road tunnel in the country.
Mumbai-based Pragathi Engineering and Rail Project has undertaken the contract for the construction of the tunnels. Around 400 people, two boomers, five concrete sprayers, 15 excavators, and 40 dumber vehicles to remove boulders have working round the clock to make the tunnels a reality.