Kochi’s much-anticipated Willingdon Island port connectivity highway has run into fresh turbulence as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) rejected the latest alignment proposed by the Cochin Port Authority (CPA), citing serious technical and financial infeasibility. The development threatens further delays to a project seen as critical for easing traffic congestion and enhancing freight mobility in one of Kerala’s busiest maritime gateways.
The four-lane highway, formally known as NH 966-B, is designed to link Nettoor with the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) Junction on Willingdon Island. Conceived as a bypass to decongest the clogged Kundannoor junction and the bottlenecked stretches around Thevara, the project had earlier secured central approval in late 2023. However, the alignment dispute between the CPA and NHAI has left the project in limbo.Officials confirmed that the revised alignment suggested by CPA required construction of a new bridge across Vembanad Lake at a location diverging from the existing Alexander Parambithara bridge. According to highway engineers, such an option would not only inflate costs by over ₹100 crore but also pose structural risks, restrict vessel movement, and disrupt the lake’s water flow. “A bridge of this length at that location is neither technically viable nor sustainable in the long term,” an NHAI official noted.\
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The stalemate has emerged at a time when Kochi is striving to balance rapid urbanisation with sustainable transport solutions. Heavy vehicle congestion around port access roads has already been straining the city’s carbon footprint and contributing to rising emissions. Infrastructure experts warn that further delays could worsen air quality and undermine Kochi’s ability to transition towards a low-carbon urban mobility framework.CPA, however, has maintained reservations about the earlier triangular alignment proposed by NHAI, which bypasses Kundannoor and crosses directly into Thevara Ferry. Officials indicated concerns that the highway could interfere with land earmarked for a large-scale hospitality project along the backwaters. This divergence in institutional priorities has become the core reason for the continuing deadlock.
Urban mobility specialists argue that the dispute underscores the need for infrastructure planning that prioritises long-term sustainability over short-term interests. They stress that infrastructure decisions in coastal ecosystems like Kochi must account for climate resilience, ecological sensitivity, and equitable urban access. “If executed with foresight, this corridor could reshape Kochi’s logistics backbone and ease passenger traffic, while aligning with the city’s sustainability goals,” remarked a transport sector expert.With restoration of consensus still uncertain, the project remains on hold. The coming months will be crucial for both NHAI and CPA to arrive at a technically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible alignment that can serve Kochi’s future as a resilient and carbon-conscious port city.
