The Kochi–Theni Greenfield Highway is a 151 kilometre-long planned greenfield controlled-access highway in India, connecting

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

with

Theni Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of the Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, 70km from Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in th ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. The new six lane highway is part of the Kochi -

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. ...

economic corridor which aims at connecting these two major ports enabling smooth movement of cargo between the two. The highway, which will pass through the Western Ghats of

Idukki district Idukki (ഇടുക്കി; ) is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala in the southwest of the country. It is the largest district in Kerala and lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district co ...

, will begin from

Kundannoor Kundannoor is a region in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around 3.5 km from Vytilla Junction and around 7 km from Ernakulam Junction Railway Station.Kundanoor is located on the busiest road of the city and state, ...

in Kochi and reach Theni almost 67 kilometres lesser than the existing NH 85 alignment and is expected to decongest the 121-km Kochi–

Munnar Munnar () is a town located in the Idukki district of the southwestern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. This ancient plantat ...

NH 85 stretch.

Overview

The new six lane highway will begin from the south side of

Ernakulam district Ernakulam (; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'') is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, and takes its name from the Ernakulam, eponymous city division in Kochi. ...

. From here, it will pass through the Muvatupuzha and

Nedumkandam Nedumkandam is the headquarters of Udumbanchola taluk which is situated in Idukki district of the Indian state of Kerala. Nedumkandam is among the fastest growing towns in the Idukki district. Nedumkandam is well known for its spices productio ...

regions, passing through the proposed

Angamaly–Kundannoor Bypass The Kochi New Bypass also known as Angamaly-Kundannoor Bypass is a proposed partially-controlled-greenfield corridor or highway in the Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. The highway will pass through sparsely populated areas avoiding Kochi c ...

, turning east near Puthankurish. With the completion of this new highway, it is expected that the traffic on National Highway 85 through

will reduce significantly. The cargo movement between

Cochin Port Cochin Port or Kochi Port is a major port on the Arabian Sea – Laccadive Sea – Indian Ocean sea-route in the city of Kochi in Ernakulam district in the state of Kerala and is one of the largest ports in India. The Vallarpadam container ...

and Tamil Nadu is also expected to become more easier. The highway will be constructed by avoiding residential areas and congested towns as much as possible with minimum curves and climbs. The distance between Kochi and Theni will be reduced by 70-90 km than the existing NH 85 route.

References

{{reflist Proposed roads in India Proposed infrastructure in Kerala Proposed infrastructure in Tamil Nadu Roads in Kerala Roads in Ernakulam district

Overview

See also

References