The traffic congestion at Singanallur junction, especially during peak hours, stresses the need for a flyover at the junction and the Highways Department is waiting for the Central Government’s approval for a proposal on the same.
An official of the Department (National Highways wing) says a proposal for a flyover at Singanallur was submitted to the Union Government five months ago.
It was proposed as a project for this year (2019-2020). Only if the Government approves the proposal will there be fund allocation for it. The project is proposed without land acquisition as the process involved for acquisition could delay or even stop the infrastructure work.
K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, says the Government should consider the project for the city on a priority basis. If it gives approval now, the works can begin by the time the Trichy Road flyover works get over. Coimbatore MP and the State Government should also take it up with the Union Government. If there are two flyovers, covering Sungam and Ramanathapuram junctions and Singanallur junction, there will not be any bottleneck for vehicle movement.
Architect P. Arun Prasad says there was an initial delay as the department was looking at acquiring land for the project.
Singanallur is a commercial hub with high density of buildings and it is difficult to acquire land. Now, the flyover design does not involve land acquisition. The junction is a major bottleneck and elected representatives should also take it up as an immediate need of the city. “It takes an hour to cross the junction during peak hours. The flyover is certainly a need,” he said.
