DHARMAPURI: The state highways department has started scraping the surface of Dharmapuri-Hosur highway near Kodiyur to improve traction after motorists complained to the district administration that the road was slippery, allegedly due to poor quality of construction.
The Dharmapuri-Hosur state highway near Kodiyur witnesses accidents frequently. Two months ago, a government bus and a private bus collided resulting in injuries to over 45 people. On Tuesday, a TNSTC bus capsized causing mild injuries to over 20 people. Residents of the area blamed the accidents on poor construction of the road and urged the district administration to fix it.
Speaking to TNIE, C Arumugam, a resident of Palacode said, “The state highways near Kodiyur is a key bus route that connects Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. But the road is not in proper condition and there is little traction for vehicles. The accident on Tuesday is the latest proof. Even two-wheelers will skid while braking. The road needs to be restored at the earliest.”
P Chinnasamy, a farmer, said, “The road was constructed very badly, we suspect that the tar and gravel ratio is not right and this has impacted the traction. The state highway has milled the road earlier too, but this did not help much. Heavy vehicles are impacted by the lack of traction. In the past two months, two accidents have left over 60 people injured due to the road’s poor shape. If this is not rectified, it would lead to loss of more lives.”
State Highways Department staff said, “Based on collector K Santhi’s order, a team of engineers had inspected the road. To improve traction of the road, milling is being undertaken now. Efforts would be taken to improve the road soon.”