Coimbatore city getting ready for flyover works

    The State Highways Department is laying concrete on the paved shoulders from Lakshmi Mills junction to Nava India on either side of Avinashi Road

The city is getting ready for flyovers at Ukkadam and on Trichy Road, Mettupalayam Road, and Avinashi Road. Works are also on to start widening of Sathyamangalam Road.

With efforts on to complete the works at the earliest, the existing roads on these stretches are seeing a few changes.

The State Highways Department is laying concrete on the paved shoulders from Lakshmi Mills junction to Nava India on either side of Avinashi Road. This is to have more space for vehicles when the flyover works start, said an official of the Department.

In Peelamedu, the existing footpath may have to be removed to provide additional space for vehicles.

There will be just single lane space on either side of the road when pillar works start. Hence, it was decided to create additional space on the road side as a temporary measure. Construction work will start near Uppilipalayam after getting the consent of the District Collector, the official said.

Regarding the Ukkadam flyover, an official said that the flyover extension work will start after Pongal.

The work agreement will be signed shortly. Most of the decks have been constructed for the flyover till Karumbukadai and the remaining will be completed soon, the official said.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to take up widening of Sathyamangalam Road till Karnataka border. The Detailed Project Report is under preparation and it is likely to be completed by the end of this year, said an official. The plan is to widen the two-lane road into a four-lane one.

D. Prabhu, an activist, said the stretch has more than 1,000 trees that are very old. Those that can be replanted should be done so in other locations. If the trees are to be cut, the NHAI should ensure that saplings are planted according to the norms. "This is one of the oldest roads and has several trees. Hence, saplings should be planted for every tree cut for the road project," he said.

Tiruchi Road flyover

The statue of freedom figher Thyagi N.G. Ramasamy, located at Sungam junction, was removed on Saturday to facilitate construction of flyover on Tiruchi Road.

An official said the location to place the statue will be decided by the District Road Safety Committee when the flyover is constructed. The statue is currently in the custody of The Coimbatore District Textile Workers Union, affiliated to HMS.

There will be no traffic diversion when the flyover is constructed at Sungam and Ramanathapuram junctions. Vehicles will be able to use the existing road. When the flyover is constructed at Ramanathapuram junction there will be a roundabout in the existing road for easier movement of vehicles. More than 70% of the flyover works are over and it will be open for vehicle movement in a few months, the official said.

A department official clarified that a video circulated on social media, showing a damaged portion of the flyover that poses threat to motorists, was not that of Gandhipuram flyover. The colours of the paint used and the shape of the flyover are not that of Gandhipuram. There is no damage in the Gandhipuram flyover, the official said.