Massive traffic jam at Muringoor on Ernakulam-Thrissur highway in Kerala after lorry accident

Traffic along the Ernakulam-Thrissur national highway in Kerala came to a grinding halt at Muringoor after a lorry loaded with logs skidded off course late on Friday night. What began as a traffic jam around 11 p.m. quickly snowballed into a massive gridlock that continued well into Saturday afternoon, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded.

On the Ernakulam-bound side, a tailback stretching nearly 3 km brought movement to a standstill. Vehicles remained locked bumper-to-bumper, with even airport-bound passengers caught in the chaos. The congestion extended from Muringoor up to Potta, choking one of the region’s most vital routes.

Poor state of service road

Authorities and commuters pointed fingers at the poor condition of the service road along the under-construction stretch of the highway, accusing the National Highways Authority of India and the contractor of ignoring urgent repair needs.

This particular stretch has drawn repeated judicial attention. The Kerala High Court had earlier ordered a temporary halt to toll collection at Paliyekkara citing traffic woes, while the Supreme Court too had come down heavily on the state of the highway.

Travel advisories

By Saturday afternoon, the logjam showed little sign of easing. The police issued travel advisories, warning those heading to the Nedumbassery airport to avoid the Chalakudy route, which remained choked. Instead, motorists from Palakkad and Thrissur were advised to divert via Kallettumkara-Irinjalakuda-Kodungallur-Mala, while vehicles bound for Ernakulam were urged to take the Kodungallur-Paravur corridor.