It will take one more year to provide highway connectivity to International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICCT) Vallarpadam in Kochi, which is expected to give a major boost to the country’s trade. Despite its strategic importance, the project that was scheduled for completion in early 2010, is now expected to be commissioned by 2014.
The State Road Transport and Highways Ministry officials said that the original Rs 329.47 crore project, despite time overrun of 58 months, is now likely to complete by December 2014. The 17 km highways connectivity project at Vallarpadam has so far seen an expenditure of Rs 932 crore, the official said.
The highway road link on completion will connect Vallarpadam with two national highways. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had dedicated the first phase of the strategically important Rs 6,250-crore terminal at Vallarpadam Island to the nation.
The terminal is designed to help exporters access mainline container vessels calling at the port as at present more than 50 per cent of the Indian container traffic is being transshipped at ports outside India, mainly at Colombo and also at Singapore, Salalah and Jebel Ali.
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