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An elevated north-south highway from Kasargode to Thiruvananthapuram with solar power panels on top and built-up space in two levels underneath, facing a 10-metre-wide service road on either side.
This is the ‘Skyway’ elevated road proposed by Roshan Kynadi, a Kozhikode-based management practitioner and entrepreneur. He has briefed the State Cabinet and major political parties on the project proposal.
BOT proposalA tolled BOT project estimated to cost ₹1.47-lakh crore, the Skyway will not only drastically ease traffic but will also have multiplier impact on industry, trade, commerce and the larger economy, Kynadi told BusinessLine .
A land-owner who parts with his land for the project gets a two-storeyed building constructed on it free of cost.
Five per cent of the toll collected will go to the landowner. This will become a recurring income for him in addition to the rent that he collects from the commercial space underneath the structure.
Given this, land owners would ensure that toll collection is not stopped. This will help the road builder in getting finance for the project at competitive rate of interest from reputed financers.
Fuel savingsAccording to Kynadi, a width of 35 meters in each direction and absence of crossings leads to savings in fuel and vehicle maintenance costs which will be much higher than the toll charged.
The Skyway project with its ‘attractive takeaways’ to land owners may just help deal with the issue.
Proposed shop-rooms on the ground floor and commercial space on the first ensure that a person contributing land gets prime shop rooms with road frontage in return, Kynadi said.
The distance from Kasargode to Thiruvananthapuram is 560 km and the time required to travel this distance currently is 14 hours. The Skyway can bring it down to about 500 km in six hours.
Solar gridSolar panels installed along the top of the elevated structure could make it possibly the biggest solar power generating grid for Kerala. There would be an underpass at every 0.5 km with exit or entry, to or from the elevated road through a ramp in the centre.
All existing rail and road features can pass underneath the Skyway structure without obstruction. The alignment will skirt all existing towns and highways and will be built right through the middle of the terrain for the benefit of the midlands.
Trade and business circles have evinced interest in the project, Kynadi added.
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