Trichy semi-ring road project deadline extended for 3rd time

Trichy semi-ring road interlinks Trichy-Thanjavur, Trichy-Pudukkottai, Trichy-Madurai, Trichy-Dindigul and Trichy-Karur NHs in the southern part of Trichy cityTrichy: For a third straight time, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has missed the deadline to complete a portion of the semi-ring road project that links five national highways (NH) passing through Trichy city.

Citing the lockdown restrictions and unavailability of skilled labours, authorities have yet again sought two more months to complete the link road.

Trichy semi-ring road interlinks Trichy-Thanjavur, Trichy-Pudukkottai, Trichy-Madurai, Trichy-Dindigul and Trichy-Karur NHs in the southern part of Trichy city. The decade-old project proposal after facing several hardships made some progress in late 2019.

A portion of the semi-ring road linking Thuvakudi (on Trichy-Thanjavur NH) with Mathur (on Trichy-Pudukkottai NH) was slated to be completed by January 2020. However, citing northeast monsoon, the deadline to complete the 14 km stretch was postponed to March 2020.

While officials said that the portion of the semi-ring road will be completed in two months that is at least by May 2020, four months on, the authorities have yet again failed to commission the road. The link road between Thuvakudi and Mathur will significantly reduce the traffic congestion in Trichy city’s Palpannai, Thiruverumbur and TVS tollgate since people heading to Trichy airport from delta districts and industrial estates on Pudukkottai NH will opt the Thuvakudi-Mathur stretch instead of entering the city.

“There is a delay in availing construction materials including bitumen due to the lockdown. Many of our skilled labourers are in their native place. We are having only 50% of the actual workforce that we managed to source locally,” an official source with NHAI said.

As a bridge in the stretch between Thuvakudi and Mathur is yet to be completed, officials said that the road will be commissioned in a couple of months. Similarly, the other part of link road connecting Mathur with Panchapur (on Trichy-Madurai NH) is also making slow progress. An RoB proposed near Kumaramangalam between Mathur and Panchapur is yet to be constructed, officials said that the design of RoB has been sent to the southern railways for approval.

The consistent delay in commissioning the road infrastructure has disappointed the locals.

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