Trichy-Karaikudi NH four-laning project revived, two elevated corridors planned

Trichy: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has revived the long-pending widening of the narrow and accident-prone Trichy-Karaikudi national highway (NH 336 & 536) passing through Pudukottai district.The land plan schedule (LPS) for the four-laning project clubbed with a RoB to bypass railway tracks in Pudukottai abutting the highway will be completed in a month. Two elevated corridors will come up on the highway, one near Mathur on the outskirts of Trichy and the other near a railway level crossing on the outskirts of Pudukottai.The narrow highway connects Trichy international airport with Pudukottai and Sivaganga districts, further connecting Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy temple in Ramanathapuram district. The highway is listed as one of the top 100 high-risk highways in the state.“The alignment for road widening between Trichy and Karaikudi is approved. Once the volume of vehicles on Karaikudi and Rameswaram stretch reaches the desirable level, that stretch will be widened to,” a senior NHAI official said.Trichy MP Durai Vaiko has reviewed the need for new RoBs in Pudukottai, a part of his parliamentary constituency. He said the Karuveppilan railway level crossing in Pudukottai leads to vehicular congestion. “A joint meeting with NHAI and Pudukottai district administration was arranged to combine a RoB demand at Karuveppilan railway crossing and Trichy-Karaikudi NH widening project. The detailed project report (DPR) has been submitted. Stakeholders were urged to expedite the land acquisition,” Trichy MP Durai Vaiko told TOI.The LPS document will serve as a tool for stakeholders to complete land acquisition and commence road widening work for which a minimum of 90% of land acquisition should be completed. With the alignment finalised, official sources said revenue departments of Trichy, Pudukottai, and Sivaganga districts will identify survey numbers needed for the road widening and issue gazette notifications. MP Vaiko added that another pending railway RoB at Thiruvappur in Pudukottai will also be constructed.