The construction of protection walls along the sides of the 46.1-km stretch of the Hill Highway cutting through Kollam has been completed. The huge walls have been constructed at two places that include the beginning of highway near Punalur KSRTC depot and Madathara Junction.
The 75-m-long and 4-m-high wall at Punlaur was constructed after expanding the one-way road parallel to the Punalur national highway.
Eastern parts
The wall at Madathara is 15-m long and 8-m high. The completion of the Hill Highway is crucial in expediting the development of eastern parts of the district and according to officials, the construction will be over by August. Currently, first round of tarring has been completed for 45.2 km while a stretch of 11.5 km has been spread with the last finishing layer.
So far 150 culverts, a 17-km drain, and a protection wall covering an 8-km stretch have been constructed as part of the project.
It also involved procurement of 40 acres of puramboke land and the development of junctions on the highway.
The construction began in August 2018 with Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) providing ₹201.67 crore for the project.
The Kerala State Electricity Board and the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) had also sanctioned nearly ₹10 crore for the shifting of electric poles and pipelines supplying drinking water.
The portion of 1,250-km Hill Highway in Kollam links KSRTC Junction at Punalur to Agasathyacodu and also goes from Alencherry Junction to Challimukku through Kulathupuzha and Madathara.
Starting from Kaliyakkavila in Thiruvananthapuram, it cuts through the major hilly areas like Punalur, Anchal, and Kulathupuzha in the district.