National Highway 66 (India)
National Highway 66, commonly referred to as NH 66, is a busy National Highway that runs roughly north–south along the western coast of India, parallel to the Western Ghats. It connects Panvel to Cape Comorin, passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The highway is undergoing a major overhaul in Karnataka, where the state government has accepted the NHAI's request of international standard, 60-metre-wide national highway with grade separators. The complete stretch from the Goa border to the Kerala border is being widened to four lanes, with space to accommodate future expansion to six lanes. There were protests from the people, who will lose lands, for a narrower stretch. But the Karnataka government has not heeded to the protests. The stretch from Kazhakootum to Eanchakal and Karamana to Kaliyikkavila in Thiruvananthapuram city is upgraded to 4 lanes and 6 lanes respectively.
Land acquisition and tendering process for national highway widening is happening at brisk pace in Kerala. New bypass works have already been kick-started. Owing to higher density of population and high land value, national highway will be 45 meter width, 6 lane, in Kerala.Goa also will have a similar alignment. Karnataka and Maharashtra sections will have 60-meter width. The Maharashtra section will be converted into a flexible pavement road with four lanes.
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India has proposed a greenfield access controlled expressway corridor connecting the port cities of Mangalore-Karwar-Panaji as part of the Indian National Expressway Network. This expressway will be parallel to NH-66 and will be mainly located in coastal Karnataka. It is expected to be a 6/8 lane access-controlled 3D right-of-way designed expressway.
Route
It starts at Panvel, at the junction of National Highway 4, and ends at Kanyakumari. NH-66 mainly traverses through the west coast of India, sometimes touching the shores of the Arabian Sea. The NH66 touches the Arabian Sea at Maravanthe in Karnataka, Thalassery, Alappuzha and Kollam in Kerala. It passes through the Indian states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.The National Highway 66 connects cities and towns of different states as follows: Panvel, Pen, Mangaon, Mahad, Poladpur, Khed, Chiplun, Sangameshwar, , Lanja, Rajapur, Kankavli, Kudal, Sawantwadi, Panaji, Canacona, Margao, Karwar, Kumta, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Kundapura, Udupi, Surathkal, Mangaluru, Manjeshwar, Kasaragod, Kanhangad,Payyannur, Taliparambu, Valapattanam, Kannur, Chovva, Dharmadam, Thalassery, Vatakara, Payyoli, Koyilandi, Kozhikode, Feroke, Ramanattukara, Tirurangadi, Kakkad, Kottakkal, Valanchery, Kuttippuram, Ponnani, Chavakkad, Kodungallur, North Paravur, Edappally, Kochi, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Haripad, Kayamkulam, Karunagappally, Chavara, Neendakara, Kollam, Mevaram, Kottiyam, Chathannoor, Kallambalam, Attingal, Kazhakkoottam, Thiruvananthapuram, Balaramapuram, Neyyattinkara, Parassala, Marthandam, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari.
Road condition
The NHAI has received the approval to upgrade the complete stretch of highway, from start to end, to a four-lane highway, which will be 60 metres and grade separated. Out of four states through which the highway goes, Karnataka and Maharashtra have received approval from the centre for the 60 metre wide highway. Kerala and Goa have requested a narrower width of 45 metres, and there are protests against the highway being widening in these states. NHAI feels the Kerala state government was lethargic in acquiring land. The four-laning of NH-66 has been completed until Thalapadi in the Karnataka-Kerala border and only its stretch in Kerala is pending. In the beginning of 2017, Kerala government has announced the six laning of NH 66 in the state as a major agenda and said to be completed in three years. But the high value of land will make it hard for compensation, and the ruling party's influence is controversial in relation to similar acquisitions like GAIL pipeline. Now the process is going fast in spite of protests from various highway action forum groups, especially because it connects Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi and of tourism importance. NH 66 has one of the highest vehicle densities in the state compared to sections of the highway in other states, so its development is vital for the overall development of the state, also the HAM model to be followed in widening will be instrumental in collecting the funds for the development. NHAI has been infamous for their heavy and long tenure of toll collection in the state.Tunnels will be constructed in the stretches where the road goes through the forest or ghat section. As the forest department does not allow land acquisition for road widening purposes, tunnels which can accommodate four-lane expressways are proposed for such stretches of the road in NH-66. One such proposal is the Maharashtra government's proposal of 1.4 kilometre tunnel at the Karnala bird sanctuary.
at Mevaram, Kollam city
Currently, the road is comparatively narrow and without dividers for the most part. The lack of dividers has led to an increased incidence of head-on collisions between vehicles. At some places, signboards indicating left or right turns, speed-breakers, etc. are either damaged or missing. In addition to its narrow span, there are no guard railings along the sides of the highway. The sides of the road are at times at a lower level than the road. Due to heavy human settlement around the highway and narrow span, the average speed on this highway is far lesser than what can be attained on comparatively better highways such as NH3, NH4 or NH8. One can find carcasses of animals on the road, indicating the risk of inattentive animals coming into the road. Two-wheel vehicles must take a special note of this. The road surface is uneven at certain stretches, not just in rainy seasons, but even at other times.
At certain places in Karnataka, the surface is so badly damaged that the iron rods underneath are exposed. Presently, the work on widening this highway has been undertaken at certain stretches. Due to narrow span and lack of dividers, there are no separate lanes for oncoming traffic, driving and passing. As a result, over-taking is quite rampant. At times, motorists attempt over-taking even on curves where the oncoming traffic cannot be seen. Other motorists are advised to be on the lookout for such oncoming vehicles.
On 19 March 2013 a bus carrying over 50 persons fell off a bridge close to a river in the Khed area of Ratnagiri district. 37 people were killed in the incident.
The highway in the state of Karnataka is being upgraded to a 60-metre-wide grade separated highway, in which vehicles can travel at a speed of 100 km per hour. It is a major overhaul, in which certain bridges are being constructed as six-lane bridges for the smooth movement of traffic. The widening work is going on in the complete stretch from the Goa border to the Kerala border. The stretch between Suratkal to Kankanady cross has been already converted to four lanes. The four-lane stretch between Surathkal and Coondaapur is under progress.
Connectivity
Prior to the building of National Highway 66, then known as National Highway 17, in the 1960s and 1970s, ships and steamers running between Mumbai and Mangalore calling at different ports were the only means of transport along the west coast of India adjoining the Arabian Sea. These ship services were abandoned later. The NH 66 connects the interior parts of the coastal regions with the rest of the country. The NH 66 connects the major sea ports of West India, Mumbai, JNPT at Nhava Sheva, Mormugao, New Mangalore, International Container Transshipment Terminal, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram Vizhinjam Port and Ratnagiri Port and other important ports like Azhikkal Port, Beypore Port and Kollam Port.Hence this National Highway 66 allows for the movement of goods by trucks from the hinterland to the major sea ports of India. Trade and commerce in the region have increased due to the expansion of markets for agricultural products and seafood produced in the region connected by this highway. The formation of NH 66 has led to the development of tourism in the region connected by this highway. Goa state is a classic example of this development. Many industries have been set up along National Highway 66, taking advantage of connectivity and proximity to ports on the Arabian Sea. The highway was the only source of connection between areas in the coastal districts, until the Konkan Railway was opened in 1998, between Mumbai and Mangalore.
One can still find old number NH-17 written on boards of shops and other establishments along NH-66 highway even in the year 2017 A.D.
Major cities and places on the highway
Maharashtra state
Goa state
| Pernem | Mapusa | Panjim |
| Margao | Cuncolim | Canacona |
Karnataka state
District| Karwar | Ankola | Kumta |
| Honnavar | Murudeshwar | Bhatkal |
Dakshina Kannada
| Baindur | Bijjur | Maravanthe | Kundapur | - |
| Saligrama | Brahmavar | Udupi | Kapu | Padubidre |
| Mulki | Suratkal | Mangaluru | Ullal | - |
Kerala state
| Kasaragod | Kannur |
| Mahe | Kozhikode |
| Kochi | Alappuzha |
| Kollam | Thiruvananthapuram |
Tamilnadu state
Major city/town bypass roads on the highway
- Thiruvananthapuram Bypass - Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala
- Kollam Bypass - Kollam city, Kerala
- Kochi Bypass - Kochi city, Kerala
- Kodungallur Bypass - Kodungallur town, Kerala
- Kozhikode Bypass - Kozhikode city, Kerala
- Thalassery-Mahe Bypass - Kannur District, Kerala - Under Construction
- Sawantwadi Bypass - Sawantwadi-Banda Section - Maharastra
Lifestyle along NH 66
Although the languages spoken vary along the highway, the food of the people along the NH 66 has some common ingredients like coconut, chili, pepper, coconut oil, and fish. The region has a higher literacy rate than other regions of India. The building of National Highway 66 has led to rapid development of the towns and cities along the highway.