The 1.7 km flyover on 100 Feet Road, Gandhipuram, is nearing completion and is expected to be thrown open for vehicle movement shortly.
When vehicles start using the flyover, there are possibilities for traffic snarls at the location where the flyover ends in the Siddhapudur - new Scheme Road areas, especially during evening hours, as vehicles and buses are parked on either side of the road for loading parcels on the buses.
Works are going on in the main carriageway and on service roads. The second-level flyover is a two-lane one with two-lane service roads on either side. “We will inform the police so that vehicles are not parked on the service roads,” said an official of the Highways Department.
According to architect P. Arun Prasad of Coimbatore Citizen’s Council, the omni bus stand is expected to be shifted out of the city and works are already on for the integrated town bus stand at Vellalore. Till then, the bus stand can be moved to another location, outside the city. The junction where the flyover ends in the Siddhapudur area can be a bottleneck when the flyover is opened up for traffic. When a project is planned in the city, the police, Highway officials, technicians and representatives of the public should be consulted. A committee should be formed for this purpose. It will look at all the challenges and requirements of an area when a project is proposed.
K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said the bottleneck on the stretch was discussed at the District Road Safety Committee meeting too. Parking of vehicles should not be permitted on the service roads and the entire stretch should be made into a no-parking zone.
Even before the flyover is thrown open for vehicle movement, there should be plans to ensure free movement of vehicles. High Tension electricity posts on the stretch should also be shifted. Mr. Kathirmathiyon reiterated the need for co-ordination between the departments concerned and need to plan for future when a project is taken up for implementation in the city.
