Finally, stage 2 of semi-ring road projects resume in Trichy

TRICHY: After a decade wait, the good news is in offing for Trichites as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has resumed the civil work to complete a portion of semi-ring road stretch aimed at decongesting the city. Since the land required for stage 2 of the semi-ring road project is acquired already, NHAI has planned to complete the portion of the semi-ring road within the next 18 months.
The semi-ring road project that links Jeeyapuram on Trichy-Karur NH till Thuvakudi on Trichy-Thanjavur NH was proposed in 2007 to enable visitors to bypass the city. But the project linking five NHs passing through Trichy city was dragging by its feet for 12 years due to various factors such as protests from farmers over land acquisition and poor planning from stakeholders. The semi-ring road is bifurcated into two stages respectively Jeeyapuram (Trichy-Karur NH) to Panchapur (Trichy-Madurai NH) as stage 1, and Panchapur to Thuvakudi (Trichy-Thanjavur) as stage 2. In a major development for the city’s long-pending project, NHAI Karaikudi Project Implementation unit (PIU) has resumed the civil work to complete the Thuvakudi to Panchapur stretch (stage 2) of the semi-ring road.
The Karaikudi PIU responsible for executing the 25km stretch between Panchapur and Thuvakudi has already completed 11.5km stretch which connects Thuvakudi on Trichy-Thanjavur NH with Mathur on Trichy-Pudukkottai NH. Now the work for connecting Mathur with Panchapur has been taken up by the NHAI to complete a link. “We have identified a contractor to execute the remaining work connecting Mathur with Panchapur. Rituals for commencing the pending stretch was held,” a senior official with NHAI said. With a solution obtained for stage 2 of semi-ring road, NHAI Karur PIU responsible for executing stage 1 of the semi-ring road is expected to publish the gazette order to commence land acquisition for completing their scope of work.