THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has unveiled the state’s Road Development Policy aimed at building a network of roads, including a new north-south expressway corridor, at an outlay of Rs.540 billion.
“The 60-meter wide six-lane expressway will cover some 600 kms linking northern and southern tips of the state. The work to be started in 2011 will be completed in 10 years at an estimated cost of Rs.100 billion,” Works Minister Monsy Joseph told reporters here.
The minister claimed that the new expressway would be more “people-friendly” than a similar project, North-South High-speed Corridor, mooted by the previous Congress-led government, which proposed a 100-meter wide right of way to provide space for futuristic bullet trains, gas pipeline and a waterway as well.
The report also proposes a Highway Development Authority, an autonomous body within the Public Works Department, to implement the road development plan ensuring that the projects and programs are taken through a process of public consultation.
“A project to develop 25,000-km roads in the next 12 years, including hill and coastal highways, is also on the anvil. The government expects to mobilize Rs.540 billion to expedite these projects,” he said.
The project preparation work for identification and prioritization of new roads should be initiated immediately and completed by 2011 and the new roads completed by 2021.
The report says all domestic highways in the state will be redesigned and converted into two-lane carriageway with paved shoulders and the pavement strengthened appropriately. Some 10 percent of them will be further upgraded into four-lane divided carriageway based on the need.
All major district roads will be improved to have a single-lane carriageway with hard shoulders and the pavement strengthened appropriately. About 10 percent of them can be further upgraded into two-lane carriageway with hard shoulders. The specifications of the Indian Road Congress and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will be adopted for the design and implementation of these road improvement projects.
Another proposal is for appropriate measures to be taken for regulating direct access from roadside properties incorporated in the designs. Standard right of way should be acquired as part of this program.
Bypasses will be built to all urban agglomerations having a population of more than 100,000 and the existing urban links wherever the bypasses are provided will be transferred to the civic bodies for their subsequent improvement and maintenance. It says the backlog of maintenance work will be brought down to zero by 2021. The government should ensure that sufficient funds are allocated in the budget for road maintenance.
Revised bid documents and procurement processes will be adopted as soon as possible and electronic procurement is going to become the norm.
The PWD will identify appropriate institutions that can provide training on project management techniques to the engineering staff.
