Title - The Hindu : Cities / Tiruchirapalli : Spadework begins for road overbridge at Periyar Nagar

Highways department on Friday began preliminary works for finalising the land plan schedule for the construction of a new road overbridge (ROB) across the railway level-crossing near Periyar Nagar on the Thiruvanaikovil Trunk Road in the city.

The new four-lane ROB will replace the existing narrow two-lane bridge that has turned traffic bottleneck in Srirangam.

The State government has already accorded administrative sanction for the new bridge at an estimated cost of Rs.43 crore.

Right of way

The design for the new ROB is under preparation and on Friday highways department officials carried out the task of marking the centre line and assessing the right of way.

Sources in the department termed it a preliminary work and indicated that the actual commencement of the project is still some time away.

The State government, they pointed out, has taken a policy decision to take up construction of new ROBs only after acquiring the required lands as several projects taken up during the previous regime have been impeded owing to delay in completing the land acquisition.

Besides, the construction of new ROB near Periyar Nagar could be taken up only after the completion of the ROB currently under construction on the Oyamari Road along the Cauvery bank.

The project again has been stalled midway through owing to the delay in completing the land acquisition.

Papers for the land acquisition plan are said to be awaiting clearance from the Commissioner of Land Administration.

Traffic diversion

Only after this bridge was ready, the sources pointed out, construction of the ROB at Periyar Nagar could commence as the traffic had to be diverted via Oyamari Road.

The sources also indicated that the existing bridge at Periyar Nagar would be completely dismantled to make way for the new ROB.

Though the new ROB was originally planned with six lanes, it has been revised to make it four-lane so as to restrict the extent of the land to be acquired.

Moreover, once the ROB at Oyamari Road was opened a major portion of the traffic is expected to go through this route.

A fresh survey has indicated that a four-lane bridge would be adequate to cater to the traffic volume at Periyar Nagar, they added.

Keywords: New road overbridge, Tiruchi corporation, Periyar Nagar ROB, traffic diversion at Periyar Nagar