Thrissur (Kerala): Traffic congestion at the Paliyekkara toll plaza on National Highway 544 could soon be a thing of the past, with Thrissur District Collector Shikha Surendran directing the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to explore implementing a barrier-free tolling system based on the model adopted at Tambaram in Tamil Nadu.

The directive was issued during a meeting of the National Highway Task Force chaired by the Collector to address persistent traffic delays, safety concerns and infrastructure gaps along the stretch.

 

NH 66 upgrades and safety rectifications

During the review, the NHAI NH 66 Project Director informed the task force that infrastructure deficiencies, drainage issues and pedestrian hazards identified in a joint inspection report have been fully rectified.

The police and the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) have been assigned to conduct direct site inspections to verify and confirm the completed safety measures.

Following a prior inspection revealing a 4-kilometre dark stretch along NH 66, NHAI officials confirmed that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for installing new streetlights is being forwarded to NHAI headquarters for immediate approval.

 

Designated parking facilities for heavy vehicles

To prevent unauthorised side-parking of heavy vehicles along national highways, the task force decided to constitute a special joint committee comprising representatives from the Police, MVD, Revenue and NHAI.

NHAI officials reported that a 6,000-square-foot land parcel near the Kodungallur Bypass has already been identified to establish a dedicated parking bay for lorries and trucks.