Title - State to build rail overbridge between Sankari Durg and Erode stations

COIMBATORE: The state government's announcement to construct a railway over-bridge between Sankari Durg and Erode stations has put an end to the long pending demand of residents. The present structure located at about 3 km from Sankagiri is inadequate to accommodate the huge number of vehicles that pass through this area. "The present railway underpass is narrow and only one heavy vehicle can pass through at a time," S Kumaresan, a commuter who regularly uses this route said. According to him, due to this inconvenience traffic snarls have become the order of the day.

Despite repeated representations to railway authorities for construction of a new structure there was no response. As the railways finally said they were not willing to construct a new structure, the state government on Sunday announced the construction of a new railway over-bridge in its place to meet growing demands. Chief minister J Jayalalithaa also sanctioned Rs40.16cr from state funds for construction of this structure.

The bridge is crucial to connect traffic from Salem, Namakkal and Erode districts and over the years increase in number of educational institutions and industrial establishments has resulted in huge increase in volume of the traffic. "Hundreds of LPG bullet tankers have to take a 40km detour via Magundanchavadi to reach the bottling plant, as these huge vehicles cannot travel on the present structure," said D Sakthivel, a lorry driver.

C Rajendran, a farmers' representative was among civil society members who continuously sought the construction of a new bridge replacing the existing one. Welcoming the government announcement, he opined that this will immensely benefit the public in the long term. The underpass lies about 3 km from Sankagiri and 8 km from Tiruchengode in the Erode-Salem broad gauge.