Resume DPR preparation for elevated expressway on Edappally-Aroor NH bypass: Hibi Eden says NHAI

Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden met National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and sought his intervention to immediately resume work on the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for the elevated highway being considered by NHAI on the 16 km Edappally-Vyttila-Aroor NH 66 bypass.

NHAI should prioritize alignment strategy, design, cost and implementation so that the four-lane corridor does not remain a bottleneck when the rest of NH 66 is widened to six lanes. The elevated expressway in the corridor is in the larger public interest of not only Kochi but the entire state, he said in a letter to the NHAI chairman.

The letter and the meeting assume significance as the NHAI has prioritized the proposed 50km Kochi Outer Ring Road (ORR) over the elevated expressway. “The ORR cannot replace the NH 66 Edappally–Vyttila–Aroor Bypass, which carries significant traffic originating from, going to, or connecting to Kochi. Therefore, the two projects may serve complementary rather than substitute functions,” the letter said.

Published – 05 Nov 2026 07:00 IST