NHAI to build 7km bypass to decongest Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple area

Trichy: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will construct a 7km bypass to decongest approach roads to Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, a Unesco World Heritage monument near Jayankondam in Ariyalur district. As NH 81, connecting Trichy and Chidambaram, passes close to the 1,000-year-old temple complex and poses safety risks for tourists and pilgrims, NHAI said the greenfield bypass will provide a new road link for heavy vehicles to skip the heritage zone.A Letter of Award (LoA) has been given for constructing the two-lane road with paved shoulders on Kallagam-Meensurutti section of the highway at Rs181 crore. The proposed road will deviate from Trichy–Chidambaram NH after Ponneri Lake, run north of the temple complex, and merge near Meensurutti, bypassing the entire temple zone and core village. Vehicles commuting between Trichy, Chidambaram, and Chennai will opt for the new bypass road to reduce travel distance and duration. At present, tourists visiting the Chola-era temple face challenges in approaching and leaving the complex from the national highway. Frequent movement of trucks causes locals and tourists to approach the temple and cross NH with caution. The bypass road was conceived to divert vehicles that do not need to pass the temple. The bypass project includes 3.4 km-long service roads, two minor bridges, two vehicular underpasses (VuPs), three LVuPs (Light VuP), and eight box culverts. The new road is expected to be completed in a year. Once commissioned, heavy vehicles carrying construction materials such as cement to Trichy, Ariyalur, and Chidambaram areas will use the bypass, thus reducing traffic congestion on the stretch connecting the temple. NHAI said the project also minimises air pollution and other impacts on the temple properties, including structural damage due to heavy vibration.