Namakkal-Kannanur Road widening may reduce travel time to Chennai

Namakkal-Kannanur Road widening may reduce travel time to Chennai

Crucial link: Already, some stretches of Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur-Perambalur Road have been developed bringing relief to the regular commuters.

 SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

In the first phase, a stretch of 9.2 km in Senthamangalam Assembly constituency in Namakkal district will be developed as a two-lane road with paved shoulders at an estimated cost of ₹40 crore and the road is the main route for those travelling between Namakkal and Perambalur

S. Ganesan

TIRUCHI

The State Highways Department has decided to widen and strengthen a section of the Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur Road in a phased manner.

In the first phase, a stretch of 9.2 km in Senthamangalam Assembly constituency in Namakkal district will be developed as a two-lane road with paved shoulders at an estimated cost of ₹40 crore, sources in the Highways Department told The Hindu.

Phased development

The remaining section of the road in the constituency will be developed in a phased manner.

The 56-km-long Namakkal-Thuraiyur Road runs for a length of about 26 km in Namakkal district and of this, about 4.6 km has been widened, according to sources.

A Government Order for widening and strengthening the road has been issued and administrative sanction granted. The department would soon seek technical sanction for the project after drawing up the estimates.

According to official sources, the Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur Road will offer a shorter route for people travelling from Namakkal to Chennai via Thuraiyur and Perambalur in comparison to the Namakkal-Salem-Ulundurpet-Chennai route.

Going via Thuraiyur will help reduce the travel time significantly and bring in attendant benefits such as less fuel consumption and vehicle emissions, the official said.

The road is the main route for those travelling between Namakkal and Perambalur.

It caters to a large number of “working population” who commute by the road and accidents, especially those involving two-wheelers, are frequent. Widening the road is expected to help check accidents.

Move welcomed

Welcoming the move, N. Saravanan, a road safety of Thuraiyur, said once the road was strengthened passenger and goods vehicles would get a shorter route to Chennai via Thuraiyur and Perambalur from Namakkal.

Already some stretches of the Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur-Perambalur road have been developed and only the remaining portion needed to be strengthened, he observed.