There appears to be a long-term solution in sight for vehicular traffic problems in the bustling town of Manachanallur.
State Highways Department is now in the process of surveying land required for laying a bypass road to a length of 2.6 km, branching off near Panguni Vaikal and touching the Thuraiyur road beyond the taluk office.
After assessing the extent of private and poromboke land required for the project, the project cost for acquisition will be arrived at on the basis of guideline value, it is reliably learnt. The department will subsequently come out with an estimate for laying the road. The width of the proposed two-lane carriageway will be seven-metre wide, and the Highways Department intends to acquire land to a width of 30 metres, sources added.
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Numbers of two and four-wheelers have risen substantially in Manachanallur what with new localities coming up on the peripheries of the town that is quite close to the city. Several hundreds of lorries enter and exit from the town every day. During the peak hours, it takes not less than half an hour for vehicles bound for Thuraiyur and Attur to cross the town. The situation turns worse during rainy days as water stagnates heavily on the road at several points in the town due to inadequacies in the drainage system.
The most affected are office-goers and students. Though one-way system is being enforced, the town famed for its rice mills is unable to accommodate heavy traffic flow for most part of the day. The narrow widths of the bridges over the few irrigation water canals precipitate the traffic woes. The department is learnt to have revised the estimate for extending the width of three bridges over the road leading to the town from Tiruchi.