Context: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways announced a greenfield corridor project for road connectivity in Kerala.

• The announcement was made at an event organized  by the National Highways Authority of India.

Key Project of the Greenfield Corridor in Kerala

• There is the 121-km NH 966 Kozhikode-Palakkad project at an estimate of ₹10,371 crore. 
  • It will reduce travel time between Palakkad and Kozhikode from four to one-and-a-half hours.
• Other major schemes in the corridor project include the NH 744 Kollam-Sengottai route and the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road 

• Benefits of Greenfield Corridor: 

• • Boost tourism sector in the state
  • Build connectivity 
  • Reduce travel time
  • Ensure Ease of doing business

About Greenfield Corridors

• About: Greenfield Expressways  go through new alignments to bring development to new areas and to reduce land acquisition costs and construction timelines and are designed to avoid inhabited areas. 
  • The widening/development of existing road is categorized as Brownfield, whereas construction of project on a new alignment is categorized as Greenfield project
• They  are designed as 12-lane wide Expressways with the initial construction of 8 lanes with maximum speed set as 120 km/h for all type of vehicles.
  • Example: The Delhi- Mumbai Expressway

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News Source: The Hindu