Cracks on NH 66 in Thrissur Chavakkad; collapse noticed on tarred road

THRISSUR: A crack was noticed on Chavakkad National Highway 66 in Thrissur after the one noticed at Kooriyad in Malappuram. The road collapsed above the flyover under construction in Manathala. The crack is more than 50 metres long on the tarred road.

The collapse of roads is raising concerns as construction of NH 66 are in the final stages. The roads collapsed recently following the heavy rains in Malappuram and Kasargod. Experts said unscientific construction is the cause of the road collapse.

The construction method was not adopted in accordance with the topography, climate, and soil structure of Kerala. There are also allegations that enough studies were not conducted. Construction has been stopped in the northern districts due to the continuous heavy rains. The road passes through unstable soil, fields, and water-logged areas. There are sections that are 50 feet high. Here, the road was built by stacking interlocking bricks on both sides and filling the middle with soil.

The soil has not been compacted. The demand of the people's representatives to build a flyover or pillars in such places and build the road on top of it was not considered. The reason for this is that it would increase the cost. The road is completely collapsing due to unbalanced soil in the rain. It is concluded that this is how the national highway collapsed in Malappuram Kooriyad the other day. Even if one of the interlocking bricks breaks, it will collapse completely.