Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is set to receive five new national highways, revealed P.A. Mohammed Riyas, state Minister for Public Works, on Saturday. 

The announcement following his official visit to Delhi alongside the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, during which the state government conveyed its request to the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari to upgrade more roads in Kerala to national highway standards.

Based on the detailed proposal submitted by the state, the process for preparing project reports for five new national highways has now been initiated, Riyas said in a Facebook post.

Sharing his post, the minister wrote, "A piece of happy news – five new national highways are going to become a reality in the state. During our visit to Delhi with the Chief Minister, we presented the state government’s proposal to upgrade more roads to national highway standards. Based on that, steps have been taken to prepare project reports for five new national highways."

Among the roads prioritised for the upgrade is the long-awaited Ramanattukara–Kozhikode Airport road, a project considered vital for Malabar residents. Other roads slated for national highway status include the Kannur Airport road, Kodungallur–Angamaly, and Vypin–Fisheries Tourist Office road.

Additionally, the National Highway Authority of India has begun preparing project reports for the construction of Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha bypasses along the Kochi–Madurai National Highway.