COIMBATORE: The state highways department has completed 30% of phase I of the Western Ring Road or Western Bypass launched in August 2023. Officials hope that the work would be completed by September 2025, one month past deadline.
The Western Ring Road starts from Mylkal on the Salem-Cochin Road (SHU 52) and ends at Narasimhanaickenpalayam on the Nagapattinam-Gudalur-Mysore Road (NH67) in the district. The total length of the four-lane road is 32.43 km.
The road will be built in three phases. In the first phase, 11.80 km would be completed. The road will pass through Madukkarai, Sundakkamuthur, Perur Chettipalayam, Theethipalayam and Madampatti.
The length of Phase 2 is 12.10 km and it will pass through Perur, West Chithirai Chavadi, Kallikanaicken Palayam, Vadavalli and Somayampalayam. The length of Phase 3 is 8.52 km, passing through Pannimadai, Nanjundapuram, Kurudampalayam,
Narasimhanaickenpalayam and Gudalur.The 4-lane road will have a 9 metre carriageway on both sides with a 4-metre-wide median containing plants.
Highways Department officials plan to axe several trees on the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s land near Madukkarai. Speaking to TNIE, a senior official with the state highways department in Coimbatore said, “We’ve completed about 30% of Phase 1.
Land acquisition has been fully completed. For the second phase, about 60% of the LA works is done. The remaining LA works will be over in about two months. After the recent accident in which a motorist fell into a pit and died, we have installed barricades.”
When inquired about the delay, the official said they is waiting for Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) to finish the Siruvani pipeline shifting works after which the work will be expedited. “The unavailability of sand during the initial stage, when the project was kicked off, caused a delay. Currently, we’ve finished the works by paving a complete tar road about 3 km out of the 11.8 km in phase 1.”