Kerala’s first twin road tunnel opens on one side to traffic – All you need to know

One side of Kerala’s first twin road tunnel, the Kuthiran tunnel on the Thrissur-Palakkad highway, was opened for traffic on July 31, 2021.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a tweet announced, “We will open one side of the Kuthiran Tunnel in Kerala today.”

The tunnel is situated in the mountainous terrain on Kuthiran on the Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery stretch of the Thrissur-Palakkad highway which is highly accident-prone.

Work on the Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery six-lane stretch began in 2010 and the construction of the Kuthiran tunnel began in 2016.

We will open one side of the Kuthiran Tunnel in Kerala today. This is the first road tunnel in the state and will drastically improve connectivity to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The 1.6 km long tunnel is designed through Peechi- Vazahani wildlife sanctuary. pic.twitter.com/9yG0VhrsLq

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 31, 2021

Kerala’s first twin road tunnel, the Kuthiran tunnel

•The Kuthiran tunnel is the first twin road tunnel in Kerala on the Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery stretch of the Thrissur-Palakkad highway.

•The 1.6 km long tunnel developed through the Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary will improve the connectivity to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and Coimbatore and Kochi. Each tunnel is 964 meters long.

How will Kuthiran tunnel benefit?

•The Kuthiran tunnel will be a boost to Kerala’s transport infrastructure. The Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery stretch of the Thrissur-Palakkad highway which is highly accident-prone is subjected to traffic ordeals during an accident.

•The tunnel will also improve connectivity to important towns and ports in the North-South Corridor without putting the wildlife at risk.

When will the entire tunnel open to public?

•There is not a fixed date for the completion of both tunnels. The second tunnel is almost 70 per cent completed. The State government will monitor the progress to ensure the timely opening of the second tunnel. Toll collection will start only after the completion of the second tunnel.

•A formal inauguration ceremony will be conducted to mark the tunnel's opening once the second tunnel becomes operational.