COIMBATORE: The completion of the Saibaba Colony flyover on Mettupalayam Road, a key infrastructure project aimed at easing traffic congestion in the city, is set to be delayed beyond its scheduled completion in March this year, owing to pending approvals and land allocation by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC).
Highways department sources told TNIE that the project has been held up as the civic body is yet to allocate a portion of land inside the Anna Vegetable Market complex on Mettupalayam Road to erect a new EB high-tension (HT) tower. The land is required to shift existing HT power lines that currently pass across the NH stretch.
"HT cables cannot be shifted unless space is provided for the new tower. This has been communicated to CCMC several times, but the delay continues to affect the project timeline," a senior highways department official said.
The 975-metre-long, 16.61-metre-wide flyover, which connects Alagesan Road with MTP Road New Bus Terminus near Eru Company on the Mettupalayam Road (NH 181), is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 52 crore. Designed to ease the heavy traffic flow in one of Coimbatore's busiest corridors, the project requires 23 pillars and 22 decks, most of which have already been completed. Construction began on September 19, 2024 and was planned for January 2026.
The project has already faced delays in the past, and with the latest hurdle, officials fear that the March deadline may no longer be achievable unless the issue of land allocation for the EB tower is resolved immediately. Residents and commuters have expressed concern over prolonged construction, citing increased congestion and safety risks. Highways officials stressed that timely intervention by the CCMC is essential to expedite remaining works.
CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said, "We are ready to provide them (the highways department) with the land. Although it's between two government departments, there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be done for the transfer, which is currently in progress. The major reason behind the delay is the traders' unwillingness to give up space in the market. Four to five traders are refusing to give up shops where the tower has been planned. We've conducted around four rounds of talks with them, however, there was no positive outcome. We also don't want to create any law and order issues by forcibly vacating them. Although we could've easily denied the highways department's request for land, we're trying our best to sort this out and have planned to initiate further talks with traders again. It is not right blame us (CCMC) for the project getting delayed."