COIMBATORE: The widening of the Mettupalayam-Avinashi road has come to a standstill at several locations for nearly two months, raising concerns, particularly over the delay in completing bridge and road works.
The 38-km stretch between Mettupalayam and Avinashi via Annur is being widened from a two-lane road into a four-lane highway. As part of the project, new bridges are being constructed, and existing infrastructure is being widened at locations where required.
Construction of new bridges is under way near Nadoor in Mettupalayam and at the junction leading to the Government Arts College on the Annur Road. However, work has remained suspended for around two months. At Nadoor, the reinforcement rods installed for the bridge have reportedly been left exposed, raising concerns over possible deterioration.
Around 10 houses located along the roadside near the Nadoor bridge were vacated and demolished to facilitate the expansion. Residents said more than two months after the demolition, there has been little progress on the corresponding road-widening work. They have urged the district administration and Highways Department officials to expedite both the bridge construction and road expansion.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official of the State Highways Department in the Coimbatore Division acknowledged the delay and said, "The contractor has been working slowly. In view of this, we have also served a notice to the contractor. Several labourers working on the project had gone to their hometowns and are yet to return. They are expected to come back next week, following which the work will be expedited," the official told TNIE.
The official also revealed that the project has been divided into two packages. In the first package, covering the Avinashi-Naal Road junction near Annur stretch, more than 90% of the work has been completed. In the second package, between Naal Road and Mettupalayam Town, around 72% of the work has been completed. A few land acquisition-related works are also pending and would be completed soon. The department is targeting completion of the entire road-widening project by December this year, added the sources.