Page 246 - economic review

INFRASTRUCTURE218

• Detailed Project Reports have been prepared for implementing City Road Improvement
Projects in Kottayam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kannur and action is also in progress for
preparing DPR for Kochi and Kollam city road improvement projects.

State Road Improvement Project (SRIP)

5.14 The State Road Improvement Project (SRIP) envisages to improve and upgrade 1200 Kms
of State Highways and Major District Roads to enhance the capacity and riding quality with proper
maintenance plan, road safety and reducing the expenditure on periodic maintenance. The project is
implemented by Road Infrastructure Company Kerala (RICK) Ltd. The project is implemented under
two packages, i.e the Rehabilitation Package under Annuity mode and the Upgradation Package
with funding from multilateral funding agencies. The Rehabilitation package is intended to improve
551 Kms of roads on Public Private Partnership Annuity mode and the Upgradation Package is
designed to improve 600 Kms of road by including land acquisition wherever needed for geometrical
corrections and junction improvements.

Research and Development in Road Sector

5.15 Research and Development activities have an important role to play in meeting the challenges
of modernising the road system, technology upgradation and finding cost effective solutions to
infrastructure problems in general. Design, Research, Investigations and Quality Control Board
(DRIQ Board), Kerala Highway Research Institute (KHRI) and National Transportation Planning and
Research Centre (NATPAC) are engaged in research and Development of the road sector.

(a) DRIQ Board

5.16 The main activities of the DRIQ Board is rendering service to the public by way of undertaking
structural design, field investigation, project preparations and quality control work for the effective
implementation of projects under plan schemes for PWD. In 2013-14 the design wing of DRIQ Board
has completed 53 numbers of structural design. The Bridges Design Wing has completed structural
design of 157 numbers of bridges and 40 numbers of general design and 80 numbers of detailed
design. The research and project preparation unit of DRIQ Board has completed the draft final
DPR of KSTP Phase II project roads in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram. Alignment
preparation and DPR preparation of the proposed road through Ernakulam- Sabarimala road is in
progress.

(b) Kerala Highway Research Institute

5.17 Kerala Highway Research Institute is the South Zone Regional Office of quality control wing
for quality control assurance of all works undertaken by PWD. KHRI conducts training programmes
for technical and non technical staffs of PWD. The functioning of the Institute is under four divisions.
The activities of KHRI during 2013-14 is given Box 5.2

Kerala State Planning Board