National Highway 66 (India)

National Highway 66, commonly referred to as NH 66 (erstwhile NH-17 and a part of NH-47), is a mostly 4 lane 1640 km (1020 miles) long busy National Highway that runs roughly north–south along the western coast of India, parallel to the Western Ghats. It connects Panvel, a city east of Mumbai to Kanyakumari via Mangaluru, passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Also the road passes through Mahe district, the third district of Puducherry (union territory).

The highway is undergoing a major overhaul in Kerala, where the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is developing a six-lane national highway of international standard with a width of 45 metres. The complete 645-km stretch from Thalappady at the Karnataka border to Karode at the Tamil Nadu border is being widened to six lanes as part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. In March 2026, major sections including the Thalappady–Chengala stretch and the Kozhikode Bypass were inaugurated, significantly easing coastal connectivity. Although the project faced unique challenges due to Kerala's high population density and land costs, leading to a reduced 45-metre right-of-way compared to the national 60-metre standard, the state government has supported the expansion by covering 25% of the land acquisition costs. Most remaining stretches are slated for completion by mid-2026.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India has proposed a greenfield (i.e., new and parallel) access controlled expressway corridor connecting the port cities of Mangaluru-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 description The Mumbai–Goa stretch of NH-66 faces significant congestion, prompting the Maharashtra government to explore a Ro-Ro ferry service connecting Mumbai to Konkan ports at Jaigad in Ratnagiri and Vijaydurg in Sindhudurg as an alternative route. It starts at Panvel, at the junction of National Highway 48 (old NH4), and ends at Kanyakumari. NH-66 mainly traverses through the west coast of India, sometimes touching the shores of the Arabian Sea. The NH-66 touches the Arabian Sea at Maravanthe in Karnataka, Thalassery, and Alappuzha in Kerala. It passes through the Indian states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The National Highway 66 (previously numbered NH-17) connects cities, towns, and major villages of different states as follows: Maharashtra Panvel, Pen, Mangaon, Mahad, Poladpur, Khed, Chiplun, Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri, Lanja, Rajapur, Kanakvali, Kudal, Sawantwadi. Goa Panaji, Margao.

Karnataka Karawar, Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar, Manki, Murudeshwara, Bhatkal, Shiroor, Bainduru, Uppunda, Kirimanjeshwara, Navunda, Maravanthe, Hemmadi, Talluru, Kundapura, Koteshwara, Kota, Saligrama, Brahmavara, Udupi, Kapu, Padubidri, Mulki, Surathkal, Mangaluru, Thokottu, Ullal, Kotekar, Talapady. Kerala Uppala, Kasaragod, Kanhangad, Payyannur Pariyaram, Taliparamba, Dharmashala, Kannur, Dharmadam, Thalassery, Mahe, Vatakara, Payyoli, Koyilandi, Kozhikode, Ramanattukara, Tenhipalam, Kottakkal, Puthanathani, Valanchery, Kuttippuram, Thavanur, Ponnani, Chavakkad, Vadanappally, Kodungallur, Moothakunnam, North Paravur, Koonammavu, Varapuzha, Cheranallur, Edappally, Kochi, Aroor, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Haripad, Kayamkulam, Karunagappally, Chavara, Neendakara, Kollam, Mevaram, Kottiyam, Chathannoor, Kallambalam, Attingal, Kazhakkoottam, Thiruvananthapuram, Balaramapuram, Neyyattinkara, Parassala. Tamil Nadu Marthandam, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari.

Major intersections {| class="plainrowheaders wikitable" |- !scope=col|State !scope=col|District !scope=col|Location !scope=col|km !scope=col|mi !scope=col|Destinations !scope=col|Notes |- |rowspan="4"|Maharashtra |rowspan="2"|Raigad |Panvel |km= | to New Delhi | Northern end of the highway. |- |Vadhkal |km= | to Alibag

| Hatkhamba |km= | to Ratnagiri, Solapur

|Ramanattukara |km= | to Palakkad

|Edapally |km= | to Salem

|Kallumthazham |km= | to Tirumangalam

|Kanyakumari |km= | | Southern end of the highway.

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 and grade separated. Out of four states through which the highway goes, Karnataka and Maharashtra have received approval from the centre for the wide highway. Kerala and Goa have requested a narrower width of , and there are protests against the highway being widened in these states. The four-laning of NH-66 (Mumbai-Kanyakumari) 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. Till now stretch out of long National Highway 66 (NH 66) have been made into four-lane highway. Karnataka and Maharashtra are widening to six-lane & stretch out of long National Highway 66 (NH 66) have been made into six-lane highway. 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.

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 (over-taking). 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 (NITK) to Kankanady cross (Mahavir Circle) has been already converted to four lanes. The four-lane stretch between Surathkal and Kundapura has been completed.

The Maximum permissible speed for this road is 100 km/h on 6-lane national highways in kerala.

Connectivity

Prior to the building of National Highway 66 (NH 66), then known as National Highway 17 (NH17), in the 1960s and 1970s, ships and steamers running between Mumbai and Mangaluru 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;JNPT at Nhava Sheva, Vizhinjam International Seaport at Trivandrum, Mormugao (MPT), New Mangalore (NMPA), International Container Transshipment Terminal at Kochi, Kollam Port, Ratnagiri Port and Beypore Port.

Hence this National Highway 66 allows for the movement of goods by trucks (lorries) 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 Mangaluru.

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.

Collapses

National Highway 66 (India)

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