A new bypass road around Manachanallur is set to be laid soon to ease traffic congestion in the town.
The Highways Department is expected to call for tenders in a month as the State government has given the administrative sanction for the project recently. The work will be executed at an estimated cost of ₹25.15 crore.
The bypass road would run for a length of about 2.62 km on Tiruchi-Thuraiyur Road averting the need for motorists to go via the town. It would begin near the Panguni Vaical (beyond Nochiyam) and join Thuraiyur Road beyond the Manachanallur Taluk Office. The project is expected to be completed in a year from the date of commencement of work.
The project was announced in the 2012-13 budget session of Assembly. According to sources, the government had then sanctioned ₹14.40 crore to acquire land for the project. So, the Highways Department had deposited ₹5 crore with the Tahsildar for payment of interim relief to land owners.
About seven hectares of land is to be acquired for the road and the land is spread over Manachanallur, Uluthankudi and Poonampalayam revenue villages. Sources said the revenue authorities are expected to make the final award to the land owners soon. The laying of the by-pass road would come as a relief to motorists traversing on Tiruchi-Thuraiyur Road and residents of Manchanallur, which witnesses traffic snarls almost right through the day on its only arterial road – Local Fund Road, known as Tiruchi Main Road. The narrow road has been bursting at its seams due to heavy traffic. Encroachments and roadside vendors have aggravated the situation.
“Recently, the Highways Department had rebuilt a slew of minor bridges between Manachanallur and Nochiyam, bringing relief to motorists. However, Local Fund Road in Manachanallur remains a major traffic bottleneck. The construction of the bypass will meet a long pending demand of commuters and residents, who have repeatedly petitioned the authorities regarding the heavy congestion in the town,” said Saravanan Natesan, a regular commuter.
Mr.Natesan said construction of bypass road would bring down the travelling time between Thuraiyur and Tiruchi. “There are as many as 11 speed breakers on the narrow road stretch between Manachanallur Taluk Office and Nochiyam on the Tiruchi-Musiri Highway. There is heavy traffic on this road and ambulances transporting the sick to hospitals in Tiruchi struggle to quickly negotiate this road. With the bypass in place, they can access Tiruchi quickly,” he said.