With the aim of easing traffic congestion in the city, the Coimbatore Corporation has proposed the construction of flyovers at six congestion-prone junctions in the city. In a recent resolution, the civic body said that given the increase in vehicular movement and the resultant traffic congestion, especially in the mornings and evenings, it had become a time-consuming affair to cross signals at junctions.
To decongest the roads and reduce the time taken to cross the junctions, the Corporation proposed to have flyovers at the Lakshmi Mills Junction on Avinashi Road, Nanjundapuram Junction on Trichy Road, NSR Road Junction on Mettupalayam Road, Hope College Junction on Avinashi Road, Airport Junction, also on Avinashi Road and at the Thudiyalur Road Junction on Sathyamangalam Road in Saravanampatti.
The Corporation also proposed to widen the Avinashi Road Flyover.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Corporation said that the State Highways Department and the National Highways should prepare detailed project reports for the flyovers as the roads where the flyovers where proposed fell under their jurisdictions.
Sources in the Corporation said that a rough estimate suggested that the cost of the flyovers should not exceed Rs. 200 crore, which was not a big amount as far as the departments were concerned.
The reason for asking for flyovers on the Avinashi Road was that a study presented to the Corporation had found out that nearly 50 per cent of the traffic movement from west to east on the Avinashi Road was for destinations east of SITRA Junction.
ADVERTISEMENT
To facilitate the movement of vehicles proceeding outside the city limits, the flyovers would be of great help.
Welcoming the Corporation’s proposal, S.P. Palaniswamy, a former head of the Citizens’ Technical Advisory Group of the Corporation, said that the resolution should have come earlier.
The proposed flyover at the Lakshmi Mills Junction should have six lanes as on Avinashi Road. The project implementing agency (State Highways Department) should not restrict the width to four or two lanes.
Elevated expressway
Mr. Palaniswamy added that the Corporation should revive the proposal the Group had presented for an elevated expressway from Thandumariamman Kovil to the airport junction or beyond.
R. Raveendran, Honorary Secretary, Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore, said the resolution was late by at least five to 10 years. Nevertheless, the places chosen were very important.
The selection of Nanjundapuram Road Junction was right because as and when the road-over bridge at the Nanjundapuram railway crossing would be completed, the movement of vehicles on the road would be very, very high as those from the southern parts of the city would avoid Athupalam and Ukkadam to reach Trichy and areas north thereof.
He suggested that the Corporation not stop with widening or improving the Avinashi Road flyover but also widen the southern stretch of the Krishnasamy Road from the mall there to the Avinashi Road flyover.