Kochi proposes Rs 204 crore Seaport-Airport Road upgrade

The Kerala public works department (PWD) has submitted a Rs 204 crore proposal to the state government for widening the 10-km Seaport-Airport Road stretch between Bharata Mata College and Irumpanam into a four-lane highway.

However, the estimate does not include provisions for installing streetlights along the corridor.

“The proposal includes the construction of two major bridges, but the project requires no additional land acquisition. Once administrative sanction is granted, the widening is slated for completion within two years,” a senior PWD official said.

At the same time, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd is carrying out widening between Infopark Expressway and Collectorate Junction as part of its Phase 2 Metro works, reported The Times of India.

The remaining portion of Phase 1 of the Seaport-Airport Road, from Bharata Mata College to HMT Junction, has already been widened.

Commissioned in 2003 by the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) and later handed over to the PWD, the 11.3-km Phase 1 corridor carries heavy freight, oil tankers and daily commuter traffic heading towards Infopark.

While localised widening near the special economic zone has eased some bottlenecks, long stretches of the road remain a two-lane bottleneck.

Civic groups have warned that further delays could lead to severe congestion once Infopark Phase 4 at Irumpanam becomes operational.

“Why it took over two decades to widen the stretch is baffling. There is a clear lack of foresight. Given the current traffic flow, the stretch should be ideally widened to six-lane,” said Arjun P Bhaskar of citizen collective Kochi First.

Safety concerns have also been raised over unlit stretches.

The detailed project report does not include streetlight provisions, while existing lighting is also inadequate along feeder routes, including the NH 85 stretch from SN Junction to Irumpanam, reported The Times of India. Ongoing construction has resulted in sudden edge drops, posing risks to two-wheeler commuters travelling along the dark corridor.

“Currently there are no streetlights in Toshiba Junction-Vallathol Nagar stretch and from Chittettukara to Irumpanam. Streetlights and footpaths are basic facilities, and should be included as part of the project,” said VC Jayendran, convener of Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents’ Association.

The demand for faster execution comes as RBDCK begins preliminary work on the long-delayed 14.3-km Phase 2 extension towards Kochi airport, making the upgrade of the existing southern corridor an important part of Kochi’s suburban mobility plans.