Constructing an elevated highway on the 25-km Edappally-Moothakunnam stretch of NH-66 will cost ₹95 crore per km, while a four-lane national highway can be built at ₹34.5 crore, District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla has said.

An elevated NH will further necessitate land acquisition in places where ramps will have to be built for vehicles opting to enter service roads, he told reporters here on Friday.

He rubbished the allegation (by organisations resisting land acquisition) that only ₹585 crore would be given as compensation for acquisition of land on the 163-km Edappally-Kozhikode NH stretch.

Mr. Safirulla further said compensation and rehabilitation package would be based on the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act of 2013. He added that NH projects were exempt from environment and social impact assessment studies.

On the NHAI’s proposal to construct a clover leaf flyover at Cheranelloor, he said the agency had been asked to examine the possibility of setting up such a system with minimum land acquisition.

It has been asked to explore alternative possibilities like underpass or flyover in case land acquisition is cumbersome, he added.

He also stressed the need for seamless traffic in the junction since 10,000 vehicles, including container lorries from Vallarpadam, are expected to cross the junction per hour by 2021. A decision on setting up a toll plaza will be taken at a later stage, if need be.