THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the completion of the Karode-Thalappady six-lane highway next year, it will be possible to drive at a speed of 110 km per hour from the southern tip to the northern tip of Kerala.

At present, the maximum speed on the six-lane road from Kazhakoottam to Karode is 90 kmph. With the completion of the Thalappady-Karod six-lane highway (NH 66), the 631.8 km stretch from Karode, which shares the border with Tamil Nadu in the south, to Thalappady, which borders Karnataka in the north, will become the fastest road in the state. Even if you drive at an average of 100 km, you can reach from one end to the other end in 6.32 hours.

In the draft report of the Motor Vehicles Department, the maximum speed on the express highway should be 110 kmph. As there is currently no express highway in the state, the meeting chaired by Minister Antony Raju on Wednesday decided to increase the speed of the six-lane road to 110. Even now, vehicles are passing at this speed on the Kazhakootam-Karode road.

Speed up to 100 kmph on 8 national highways

The speed limit on eight national highways passing through Kerala has been increased from 90 to 100 kmph. Fixing the speed of transport buses and vehicles with more than nine seats, including Travelers, at 95 on six-lane national highways and 90 on four-lane highways will benefit long-distance services, including that of KSRTC. Currently the maximum speed is 70 kmph. The speed change can be made to the speed governor accordingly.

Concern about smaller roads

The speed of vehicles including buses on state highways and district roads has been increased from 65 to 80 kmph. There is concern whether this speed will cause accidents on busy roads with many junctions.