A bumpy ride on highways with misery for company

At the dawn of July 3 this year, the Edappally–Thrissur stretch of NH 544 looked deceptively calm after an all-night drizzle.

Eighty-year-old M.P. Vilson of Cherumukku, Thrissur, and Manu, driver of the car, were heading home from Thiruvananthapuram in Vilson’s newly bought car when disaster struck at Muringoor.

A sudden stoppage of the vehicle just ahead of them sent Manu slamming the brakes of the vehicle. The wet surface betrayed him. The car skidded, veered off the narrow, slippery service road, and nosedived into a 10-foot-deep water-filled pit, a gaping hole left behind by ongoing underpass works.

The only safety measures that were in place were a plastic traffic cone and a rope loosely strung across the site. Luck was on their side, and they survived. Moments later, they crawled out of the mangled vehicle with minor cuts and bruises.

A month later, the same site witnessed another accident. A timber-laden lorry toppled on the service road, scattering the logs across the stretch. For nearly 15 hours, traffic froze into an unmoving line stretching for kilometres. For thousands stuck in the jam, patience snapped.

The accidents underline what motorists on the Thrissur-Ernakulam stretch of NH 544 have been enduring for months: endless traffic jams, dusty byroads through which the vehicles have to crawl, vehicles skidding off the road, and a creeping fear of disaster. Frustration has boiled over into petitions, protests, and now, the Kerala High Court lashing out at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is implementing the road project.

On August 6, 2025, the High Court ordered suspension of toll collection at Paliyekkara plaza, holding the NHAI responsible for failing to provide safe, motorable roads. The Supreme Court later endorsed the decision. Citing the Thrissur Collector’s report of security threats at several underpasses, the High Court on September 25 extended the suspension, reiterating its stand: “No toll for unsafe roads.”

Question of fairness

For Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) secretary Shaji J. Kodankandath, who moved the High Court for suspending the toll collection, the issue is not just about the inconvenience caused to the motorists but fairness in the approach to them.

“The stretch witnesses heavy traffic blocks even now. Work is progressing at a very slow pace. The work, which is planned to be completed by October 2025, may take another year to complete,” he feels.

He raises a demand: “Reduce the toll by 50% till the work is completed. Why should we pay to drive on service roads? Why should internal roads through which the highway traffic is diverted be destroyed without compensation being paid? The rural internal roads, not built on highway standards, are being damaged by the heavy volume of traffic,” fumes Shaji.

The Interim Traffic Management Committee, which was formed to look into the issue of traffic jams, suggested the widening and repairing of service roads and replacing damaged culverts to ease the traffic.

The committee, led by Thrissur Collector Arjun Pandian, also proposed setting up street lights along the internal roads and putting up bilingual boards to indicate traffic diversion. The police and the Motor Vehicles department agreed to the concerns raised by the Collector.

The NH 544 upgrade project included underpasses and overbridges to eliminate accident-prone “black spots” along the NH and ease congestion. Instead, they stand testimony to missed deadlines and public risk. The construction of underpasses at Amballur, Perambra, Muringoor, Koratty, Chirangara, Mudikkode, Kallidukku, and Vaniampara is yet to gather momentum.

The worst delay is reported from Amballur, where the underpass is barely half-built despite several missed deadlines. Service roads are collapsing under heavy traffic, and shops in the areas are covered in dust, complain residents.

Fear of floods

Beyond traffic chaos, local people worry about flooding at Amballur in Nenmanikkara panchayat, a flood-prone area. The residents fear the underpass project could worsen the flood situation.

“No proper and scientific studies were done before initiating the work of the underpass,” alleges T. Sreenath, an activist of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad.

A special meeting of the grama sabha had warned about the possibility of flash floods as the underpass was being constructed without proper drainage, says Sreenath. “If it rains heavily, Amballur will be inundated. Now they’re building the structure without channels to let water out. This could worsen the situation,” he adds.

“When rainwater turns road stretches into slush, the workers dump quarry waste with sand content on the road. Shops and homes get coated in dust when the water dries up,” says Sreedharan Oottoly, who runs a stationery shop near Amballur market. “By evening, we’re covered in grime. We also face the issue of respiratory ailments and allergy,” he says.

NHAI’s stance

NHAI project director Ancil Hassan insists that the works are on track. “We’ve complied with the directions of the interim committee on traffic management. There are no major issues now. Service roads are being regularly repaired, though intermittent rain poses challenges,” he claims.

Ancil says that the department is hoping to complete the road works in Muringoor, Chirangara, and Perambra by December, and Amballur by February.

“Almost one lakh vehicles pass through the corridor daily, but construction of the four-lane highway and the service road has to be squeezed into just 45 metres, which is delaying the work. In places like Muringoor, we don’t even have a utility corridor. The risks are obvious,” he says.

However, motorists refuse to buy the assurance of the NHAI. “The deadlines are never met,” rues a regular traveller from Kodakara.

With the High Court insisting on the suspension of toll collection, pressure is on the NHAI to achieve visible progress in the road project.

The Alappuzha story

Motorists passing through the NH 66 in Alappuzha has a similar story to recount. Vehicular movement along the road stretch has become a harrowing experience for motorists following the construction of the elevated highway between Thuravoor and Aroor. Traffic snarls have become a regular affair. Despite the NHAI allotting funds to strengthen the Thuravoor–Kumbalangi and Thuravoor–Makkekadavu roads as alternative routes, the situation has not improved much.

Jino Joseph, a resident of Thuravoor, leaves for work an hour earlier than usual to reach his workplace in Ernakulam on time, thanks to the ongoing construction of the 12.75-km elevated highway between Thuravoor and Aroor.

“What usually took me around an hour now stretches to over two hours. The exhaustion caused by the traffic jams is taking a toll on my life,” he complains.

Another local commuter K. Praveen echoes his concerns: “Infrastructure development is important. Yet, travelling on the stretch has become a real struggle. The authorities should consider temporary traffic management solutions to ease the burden,” he suggests.

The roads have also become a killing field for motorists and pedestrians. The Aroor-Thuravoor Janakeeya Samiti notes that at least 28 people have lost their lives in road accidents on the stretch since the elevated highway work began. Yet, authorities remain unfazed.

The NHAI officials claim that nearly 74% (9.695 km of the 12.752 km) of the elevated highway project has been completed. “The project is expected to be completed by June 30, 2026,” assures an NHAI official.

The scarcity of soil has impacted the Thuravoor-Paravoor and Paravoor-Kayamkulam-Kottankulangara road stretches in the district. Though the State government has granted permission to use dredged soil from Vembanad Lake and Ashtamudi Lake for the development of the NH, sources complain that the scarcity continues.

Elsewhere in the district, NH widening works are making progress, albeit with accidents and traffic disruptions.

On September 16, as many as 28 people sustained injuries, some grievously, when a superfast bus of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation rammed an under-construction national highway underpass at Cherthala. In March this year, four concrete girders of the under-construction flyover of the Alappuzha bypass road collapsed. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.

Slow pace at Malappuram

Four months after a section of the NH 66 highway under construction collapsed at Kooriyad, near Vengara, in Malappuram district, the situation appears calm despite earlier protests and allegations against the NHAI and the company that was awarded the contract for the work.

The NHAI blacklisted the firm, which implemented the work, and promised to have the damaged section rebuilt with a viaduct at the contractor’s expense within four months to placate public outrage. However, the repair work seems to be taking longer than anticipated.

To minimise traffic disruption, around 400 metres of the damaged embankment was dismantled, and service roads were repaired within two months. However, the construction of the promised viaduct is progressing slowly than expected.

Mohammed Shaju, a local businessman, is very worried about the slow pace.

“I’m sure it will take a few more months to be completed, despite the contractor’s claim of finishing it in a month.” He points out that the underpass connecting Vengara Road to the NH at Kooriyad frequently causes traffic congestion at Kooriyad.

Missed deadlines mean more slush, dust, crawling traffic in the coming months too. One can only hope that precious lives will not be lost.

(With inputs from Sam Paul A. in Alappuzha and Abdul Latheef Naha in Malappuram)