Rs 204 crore allotted to eliminate four black spots in Trichy

Trichy: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has sanctioned 204.7 crore to eliminate four black spots on the Trichy–Chennai national highway passing through the city. While G Corner will get an elevated rotary with service roads, three other black spots on the highway will be equipped with light vehicular underpasses (VuPs).Out of the eight accident hotspots, G Corner junction, Sanjeevi Nagar junction, and Kollidam Y Road junction on the Trichy–Chennai NH alone have accounted for at least 46 deaths since 2021. Maruthi Nagar junction, which falls under Trichy rural police limits, is among the other 84 hotspots in the district. Infrastructure lapses, such as the lack of safe link roads to cross the NH at these four locations, have often led to accidents resulting in multiple fatalities, mostly involving two-wheeler riders.With at least 25,000 vehicles using the Samayapuram toll plaza daily, traffic within the city also heavily depends on the NH for intra-city movement between Ponmalai, Srirangam, Thiruvanaikoil, and Thiruverumbur. The decade-old demand for underpasses has finally received approval from the NHAI. "A total of 94 crore has been allocated for G Corner's elevated rotary. The remaining funds are for the VuPs," Trichy MP Durai Vaiko said.The VuPs will have four-lane carriageways, similar to the one recently constructed near Thiruvalarcholai Road in Srirangam. NHAI sources, who cited technical constraints in designing ramps near the Cauvery river at Sanjeevi Nagar junction, earlier, now say that a light VuP can be designed and implemented.At Maruthi Nagar, Kollidam Y Road, and Sanjeevi Nagar, highway-bound vehicles heading towards Chennai and Madurai can use elevated roads, while Trichy-bound vehicles can access service roads. The ramps, both ascending and descending, are expected to be 350–500m-long. Except for G Corner junction, land acquisition is not required for the other projects."The tender will be opened after the assembly election results. Construction will begin within two to three months after finalising a contractor," an official source said.Durai Vaiko added that road accidents on the Trichy–Chennai NH are expected to reduce significantly once the infrastructure is commissioned.