Flyovers won’t narrow down Mettupalayam Rd: Official

Coimbatore: The highways department on Tuesday assured the commuters on Mettupalayam Road to restore the width of road after the construction of flyovers at Kavundampalayam and GN Mills. The officials said the flyover pillars would occupy only 2m of the 23m-22m wide road.
It would now take at least 15-18 minutes to cross the Sanganoor Canal-Vellakinar Pirivu stretch, where flyover construction is taking place, during peak hours. Kirubashankar, a resident of Periyanaickenpalayam, said, “The stretch, which is hardly 5km long, is nightmarish between 5pm and 7.30pm and again from 9am to 10.30pm. The road has become too narrow in Kavundampalayam Junction area and hardly a car and a two-wheeler could drive side by side.”
T Shankar, a driver, said the road was not only too narrow but also bumpy with potholes.
The highways department told TOI that the situation would improve once the flyover work was over. An official said the flyovers would occupy only 2m of road space at the centre, leaving 20m of the 22m to 23m wide road for vehicles.
Selvakumar, divisional engineer, national highways, said “It will be like the Gandhipuram flyovers, where cars can drive beneath them comfortably. With the flyover carrying a sizeable portion of the traffic, the road below can accommodate its traffic.”
A section of residents and activists in the area said the service road on either side of the upcoming flyover could be extended by at least 15ft. Mariappan, a resident of Kavundampalayam, said, “This will be beneficial. Even now it plays a major role in easing traffic congestion to a large extent. However, the space is being encroached by some shops.”