COIMBATORE: Motorists and road safety activists have raised concerns over the rampant encroachment of service roads beneath the ramps of the GD Naidu Flyover, along Avinashi Road, stating that the stretches have been converted into parking spaces by private individuals and shopkeepers, leaving little room for vehicles and pedestrians.
Despite the state government spending several crores to acquire land and develop the service roads, most of them have become virtually unusable due to indiscriminate parking, forcing motorists to take the main carriageway.
The 10.1-km-long GD Naidu Flyover, constructed at a cost of Rs 1,791.22 crore, was inaugurated on October 9, 2025, by then Chief Minister MK Stalin. The project was originally planned with eight ramps, with service roads running parallel to the main carriageway beneath them. Seven ramps have been completed and opened to the public, while work on the ramp near PRS Grounds remains pending due to a case pending before the Madras High Court.
R Kaleeswaran, a motorist from Ganapathy, said the encroachments had made commuting increasingly difficult. "The service roads are already narrow, and vehicles parked along the stretches leave virtually no space for motorists. Pedestrians also have no space to walk safely. Motorists are forced to use the main carriageway. Officials must take stringent action against those parking their vehicles on these roads," he said.
K Kathirmathiyon, a member of the Coimbatore District Road Safety Committee and secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, told TNIE that the problem extended across all the service roads on the entire 10-km stretch.
"Despite spending huge amounts on land acquisition and developing these roads, they remain unusable. It appears that the government acquired land only to have it turned into parking spaces. There are no proper pedestrian pathways either, making the situation difficult for walkers," he told TNIE.
A senior state highways department official said action would be initiated in coordination with the police. The official added that while temporary shops and other structures could be removed by the department, vehicles parked illegally would have to be dealt with by the police through fines and seizure.
Meanwhile, during the previous District Road Safety Committee meeting, the Coimbatore collector instructed IIT Madras to constitute an expert team and conduct a detailed road safety audit of the flyover's service roads. The team is expected to submit a report after assessing the existing conditions.