Amidst persistent demands from residents and commuters to widen the four-km long stretch from Manachanallur to Samayapuram on city outskirts, the State Highways Department has planned to take up the project during the current financial year.
According to sources in the department, a proposal has been forwarded to widen the Manachanallur-Samayapuram Road under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme and sanction was expected soon. The road is to be widened for a stretch of about 3.5 km between Manachanallur and Samayapuram and another stretch of about four km beyond Samayupuram up to Tirupainjeeli. The road stretches would be widened from the current width of 5.5 metres to seven metres, sources indicated.
Emphasising the importance of widening the road, S.Chandrasekaran, a resident of Manachanallur, said it was high time that the narrow road was strengthened and widened. “Apart from widening, the Highways Department should also address the problem of water stagnation on the low lying stretches of the road along the Pullampadi Vaical. The department should raise the level of the road on at least four stretches including between Samayapuram Nal Road and petrol bunk and between the Dhandapani Rice Mill and the Registrar Office,” Mr.Chandrasekaran said.
N.Saravanan, a commuter on the road stretch, said that it was essential that the road was widened and several representations have been submitted in this regard. “Though it is classified as a major district road, it is very narrow and has to be widened with paved shoulders. A large number of devotees who go on padayatra to Samayapuram every year go via this road. The Manachanallur Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus depot is also located near Vengankudi and the bus crew find it difficult to negotiate through the narrow road during peak hours,” Mr.Saravanan said.
