State on the high road to development.

In-principle sanction was granted by the government recently` for the development of Hill Highway, Coastal Highway, improvements of 180 road works and construction of 67 bridges and flyovers under the Public Works Department at an estimated cost of ₹17,928 crore.

The funds for the ambitious highways, various road corridors and other road infrastructure projects across the State, announced in the budget 2017-18 and sanctioned by the government now, are to be mobilised from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

Of the works approved, ₹6,500 crore is for laying Coastal Highway and ₹3,500 for Hill Highway. The 180 road improvement works have been given ₹5,583 crore and the 67 bridges and flyovers ₹2,345 crore.

In the budget, it was announced by Finance Minister, T. M. Thomas Isaac that the two highways and 182 roads and 69 bridges and flyovers would be constructed using the funds to be mobilised from KIIFB. Based on the letter from the Chief Engineer, PWD, Roads and Bridges, the government had deleted two road works and two flyovers. Thus, the amount needed for road overbridges and flyovers had come down from the initial ₹2,557 crore to ₹2,345 crore and that of the road works from the initial ₹5,628 crore to ₹5,583 crore.

The Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) has been made the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for arranging the road and bridge works and the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerla (RBDCK) the SPV for executing the Road Over Bridges (ROB’s) and flyovers, official sources said.

Hill Highway and Coastal Highway, which will provide alternative road corridors across the State, will be implemented by the KRFB.

THE HINDU