Ready, but not for heavy vehicles

he bridge at Lalgudi which has been completed is yet to be thrown open to heavy vehicles and consequently traffic snarls continue in the town.

There is a strong case for construction of a roundabout at the tri-junction of the Tiruchi Road, Ariyalur Road and Anbil Road which is at a stone’s throw from the bus stand, say local residents. Although the bridge work has been completed, only medium and light vehicles are allowed on it. The bridge remains closed for heavy vehicles, pending the construction of the roundabout.

According to official sources, a roundabout should be built at the tri-junction area for smooth flow of traffic. “Delay in acquisition of land has been hampering the process of setting up the traffic island,” the official said.

However, the Highways Department has taken up work on service road in the area to a length of 900 metres each on either side of the bridge. The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation has shifted all the poles to either side of the service road.

The work on service road was taken up in January and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation has cleared the poles which hindered the work on laying the service road. Telephone lines and sewage pipe lines had been realigned. Drains were constructed as part of providing the service road.

“The objective of the bridge and the service road will be realised, only if an traffic island on the Tiruchi-Lalgudi Road after acquiring land – mostly commercial shops in the area,” said an official source.

Traffic snarls continue to be a nightmare for the road users as a large number of buses, school vans, and trucks pass through this point.

According to official sources, a traffic island with a diameter of 20 metres has been designed as part of the bridge.

“But the delay in acquisition of land on this site has been posing a bottleneck in constructing the island,” the source told The Hindu on Thursday.

Work on service road has been taken up after electric poles were shifted

Delay in land acquisition has been preventing construction of traffic island