The government of Tamil Nadu requested the center to declare the state’s 500-kilometer highway as a national highway, which was approved in principle by the Federal Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2018.

The state government also asked the government to take over the Western Ring Road, Coimbatore Half Ring Road and Coimbatore-Sathyamangalam Road in Madurai at a cost of Rs 6,600 crore. Tiruvannamalai-Kallakurichi (65 km), Vallioor-Tiruchendur (70 km), Kollegal-Hanur-MM Hills-Palar Road-TN border extends to Mettur (30 km), Palani-Dharapuram (31 km), Arcot-Tindivanam (91 km) ), Avinashi-Mettupalayam (38 km) and Bhavani-Karur (77 km). -Tian traffic, the actual situation of these highways needs to be updated immediately. Minister EV Velu said in a letter to Federal Minister Nitin Gadkari that after the upgrade, the Kallakurichi-Tiruvannamalai and Arcot-Tindivanam highways will become the shortest routes to important pilgrimage centers.

The 30-kilometer Madurai Highway will connect AIIMS, Madurai-Cochin Road and Kodai Road, and will connect the integrated Madurai Bus Station at the central vegetable and flower market Mattuthavani to NH44 (Srinagar-Kanyakumari Road). The project cost is 1,200 crore rupees. The center’s 3,480 crore semi-circle to Velu said Coimbatore opened in March 2018 in two phases, from Karanampettai to Periyanayakkanpalayam and from Madukkarai to Karanampettai.

Coimbatore-Sathyamangalam Road passes through Coimbatore and Sathyamangalam, connecting Ooty-Kothagiri-Mettupalayam-Sathyamangalam-Gobichettipalayam-Erode and Sathyamangalam-Bhavani. The National Highway Administration (NHAI) has proposed a four-lane road between Coimbatore and Sathyamangaland and a 90 km two-lane road between Sathyamangaland and the state border. According to the minister, the ministry may consider upgrading the interstate link road to improve traffic flow in the Hetan section and ease traffic congestion.

According to the ministry, the state government also agreed to immediately expand the eight detours on the NH-68 route from Salem to Ulundupet to four lanes. According to statistics, there are two-lane detours in four-lane expressways, causing many road traffic accidents and deaths. Velu said the accident occurred at these bypass locations, from two-lane to four-lane, four-lane to two-lane paths, at the junction. There were 715 accidents between April 2016 and July 2021, resulting in 169 deaths and 309 serious injuries.

News Source : The Times Bureau