The much awaited Rs.927-crore four-lane highway project between Madurai and Paramakudi, launched last year, was progressing well and would be ready for full-fledged traffic by November 2017, M. Muthudayar, Deputy General Manager-cum-Project Director, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Karaikudi, said.
The ambitious 115-km-long project would go a long way in easing traffic congestion on the busy stretch, which witnessed more than 18,000 vehicles passing through on a day and provide better connectivity between the Temple City and Rameswaram via Ramanathapuram.
“The project has entered the 12th month and we have completed 20 per cent of the work,” Mr. Muthudayar told The Hindu on Saturday.
Unprecedented rains and the model code of conduct during the Assembly elections caused some minor delays and the project picked up momentum now, he said.
After launching the project, the NHAI faced the challenging task of acquiring 420 hectares of land, including about 120 hectares of private lands in as many as 48 villages in the districts of Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram and acquired lands in all but one village, he said.
Lands could not be acquired at Rajagambeeram in Sivaganga district, where the Highways proposed to lay two-km-long by-pass road as the villagers were divided over laying bypass road and extending the existing road, he said.
In respect of 47 other villages, the awards were passed for acquiring lands, he added.
The project was implemented with four-lane with central median for 75 km between Madurai and Paramakudi and 30-metre-wide two-lane road without central median for 40 km from Paramakudi to Ramanathapuram, he said.
The stretch between Paramakudi and Ramanathapuram would have all the characteristics of the four-lane, except the central median, he said. The nine-km-long bypass, connecting Achunthanvayal and East Coast Road near Devipattinam would substantially ease traffic congestion inside Ramanathapuram town, he added.
Conversion of the existing road between Paramakudi and Ramanathapruam into four-lane in future would not be difficult as the NHAI acquired the required lands, he said. There was also enough space on either side in the Ramanathapuram-Rameswaram stretch for expansion in future, he said. The Hyderabad-based company, which was awarded the contract, was simultaneously building ROBs at six places and completed sub-structure for four ROBs, he said.
