People of Tuticorin are looking forward to get a new flyover at the four-road signal junction on Palayamkottai road, to ease traffic congestion, as promised by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
The narrow stretch near the intersection on Palayamkottai Road is a test to the road users. This much-awaited flyover would certainly help to decongest the vehicular traffic, S. Murugaiah, a road user, said. Recalling the promise made by the Chief Minister during her campaign in Tuticorin in 2011 ahead of the assembly election, he said the whole of Tuticorin is waiting for the project to take off at the earliest.
No headway was made in easing the traffic, C.S. Muralitharan, Congress town president, said. The busy road was witnessing movement of heavy vehicles, State and private run buses mostly to Tirunelveli, autorickshaws, share autorickshaws, tourist vehicles, office-goers and students to work places and educational institutions by two wheelers, he said.
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During peak hours, commuters mostly students with their parents and patients approaching Tuticorin Government Hospital faced the trouble of traffic snarls on the Palayamkottai Road, M.S. Muthu, District Secretary, Democratic Youth Federation of India said. “Much more is the inconvenience faced by patients during medical emergencies since ambulances could hardly pass through the narrow stretch with vehicles making a long line. Besides, entering the Government Hospital facing the Palayamkottai road itself has become a daunting task. Hence, the flyover is the only solution in sight to solve the problem,” he said
Divisional Engineer of Highways Department V. Krishnasamy, when contacted, said a proposal for the project has been sent to the State Government for administrative sanction. The proposal envisaged an estimated cost of Rs. 24 crore. A stretch of 8, 306 square metres of land is required to be acquired for this special project and 90 percent of the work on the detailed project report was over.