Thu Dec 04 09:11:21 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a rewritten news article based on the provided text:

Summary:

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated steps to improve a 76-km stretch of Kochi-Panvel National Highway 66 between Surathkal and Kundapura in coastal Karnataka following public outcry over increased accidents and inconvenience. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared to address these issues, including the construction of service roads and long-term solutions for problematic junctions. The lack of foresight in the original highway widening project is being blamed for the current problems.

News Article:

NHAI Responds to Public Pressure, Announces Highway Improvements on Kochi-Panvel NH 66

Mangaluru, December 4, 2025 – The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced a series of improvements planned for a 76-kilometer section of the Kochi-Panvel National Highway 66 between Surathkal and Kundapura in coastal Karnataka, responding to growing public concerns over safety and accessibility.

The announcement follows persistent advocacy from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Member of Parliament Kota Srinivas Poojary, who highlighted the rising number of accidents and the difficulties faced by both drivers and pedestrians along the stretch.

According to a statement, NHAI has commissioned Dhruv Consultancy Service Private Limited and Mark Civil Engineering Services Private Limited to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR). The DPR will focus on constructing service roads in previously neglected areas and developing long-term solutions for accident-prone junctions, including those in Kota, Brahmavra, Padubidri, and Mulki. Construction has already commenced at Koteshwara in Kundapura taluk of Udupi district in Karnataka.

Critics, including retired PWD engineers, argue that the current problems stem from a lack of foresight during the initial highway widening project. They claim the NHAI failed to anticipate traffic congestion and pedestrian safety issues at key junctions and did not incorporate adequate vehicular overpasses or underpasses.

“The Authority should have constructed service roads throughout the stretch considering the fact that highway flanks in the coastal districts have already become semi-urban,” one engineer noted.

The NHAI is now working to rectify these oversights, planning vehicular underpasses or overpasses in stages, including at Kallianapura-Santhekatte, Ambalapady and Katpady. With the DPR process underway, local residents and officials hope that construction and improvement work will begin promptly, bringing much-needed relief to commuters and improving road safety along this vital highway corridor.

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