The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to construct a viaduct or bridge to replace the section of National Highway-66 that collapsed at Kooriyad, located near Tirurangadi in Malappuram.Babu Lal Meena, the regional officer of NHAI, stated that the bridge seems to be the only viable solution to rectify the failure of the 276-metre segment of the elevated highway at Kooriyad. He further mentioned that a 400-metre-long bridge would be built to connect the underpass at Kooriyad with another underpass situated in the middle of the paddy field. “It will be an integrated structure,” he remarked.Mr. Meena indicated that KNRCL, the contractor, has committed to completing the project within four months. “Currently, there is heavy rainfall. All work must be executed with utmost caution,” he noted.An independent technical expert committee investigated the collapse of the highway segment on May 21, just two days following the incident, and provided a report to the NHAI. The report concluded that the collapse was due to the failure of the soil’s weight-bearing capacity.Acknowledging certain oversights, Mr. Meena explained that water infiltrating the incomplete section of the embankment created excessive pressure on the soil, leading to its failure. An NHAI official, who preferred to remain anonymous, admitted that the soil quality had not been thoroughly evaluated.Experts have indicated that the viaduct will be four times more expensive than the embankment. They noted that embankments are commonly utilized throughout Malappuram district to reduce costs.
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