The Kerala government has sanctioned Rs 25.30 lakh for a National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) study to identify long-term solutions to severe traffic congestion in Aluva, a key gateway to Kochi. Field operations for the first phase are scheduled to begin on Friday along the congested national highway stretch between Pulinchodu Junction and Mangalapuzha Bridge.
The sanctioned amount matches the estimate submitted by Natpac for the study. The state government had initially earmarked Rs 30 lakh for the initiative, according to Aluva MLA Anwar Sadath, who said the research agency would begin collecting traffic data on the corridor as part of Phase I.
Natpac is expected to complete data collection and analysis within eight weeks. The final report is scheduled to be submitted to the state government by January 1, 2027, Sadath said.
The first phase will focus on the national highway corridor between Pulinchodu Junction and Mangalapuzha Bridge, where motorists regularly face bottlenecks near major intersections and urban junctions. The stretch carries daily commuter and freight traffic and forms an important movement corridor connecting Aluva with the wider Kochi urban region.
The study is intended to provide the government with a detailed assessment of traffic conditions and possible long-term interventions. Its findings will precede a second phase focused on traffic management within Aluva town. That phase will examine intersection redesign and other measures intended to ease congestion in the town’s internal road network.
Aluva’s position as a gateway to Kochi means that congestion on the corridor affects more than local trips. Traffic moving through the area includes daily commuters as well as freight vehicles using the national highway, while delays also build up around junctions serving the town and adjoining areas.
The planned study will therefore cover both the movement of traffic along the highway stretch and the management of intersections within the town. The two-phase approach links corridor-level data collection with later traffic management and redesign proposals.
The state government’s sanction allows Natpac to begin the first phase of field operations. The next formal milestone is the completion of data collection and analysis within eight weeks, followed by submission of the final report to the government by January 1, 2027. Phase II is scheduled to follow with a focus on traffic management, intersection redesign and congestion-relief measures in Aluva town.
