Driving down Coimbatore-Pollachi road is turning out to be time-consuming, tiring and dangerous too.
Vehicles speeding on the stretch where works are on to widen the road into a four-lane one only adds to the risks faced by the road users.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken up widening of the road for 26 km at a cost of about ₹ 400 crore.
The schedule is to complete the works by November next year. “We are trying to complete the works six months ahead of the schedule,” said an official of the NHAI. The existing road will be widened and made into a concrete road for the entire stretch. There is no other alternative route to divert the vehicles. Hence, works are taken up for five km for one side and when it is completed, the next five km is taken up. Since it is a concrete road, it takes about a month for the concrete curing, the official said.
Efforts should be taken to bring down the speed of the vehicles on the stretch. Speeding of vehicles not only poses danger to the road users but also damages the work that is done, the official said.
K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said the police and the transport department officials should focus on the stretch where works are on, bring down the speed of the vehicles, and ensure safety of the road users and the quality of the new road. The District Road Safety Committee meeting was not held for a year now. If it was held regularly, such issues would be discussed, he said.
