TIRUCHY: Raising alarm over the “frequent” accidents on the Tiruchy-Karur national highway, particularly the two-lane stretch between Pettaivaithalai and Kulithalai, vehicle users call for urgent road widening and median barrier installation along the entire length of the route.
Of the 79-kilometre-long stretch, a 11 km portion connecting Chathiram with Thindukarai is under the control of the state highways department.
The remaining 68 km stretch is maintained by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Identifying areas such as Mahadhanapuram, Mayanur, Kulithalai, Pettaivaithalai and Anthanallur in the 68 km stretch as accident-prone, P Ayyarappan, coordinator of the Road User Welfare Committee said, "Unlike other national highways, the Tiruchy-Karur road has several bottlenecks.”
“NHAI authorities should provide for a median along the entire four-lane stretch. Road widening should be carried out in the two-lane sections to prevent fatal accidents. This is one of the few national highways without a service road or underpasses. Due to its narrow stretches, frequent head-on collisions occur. The black spots should hence be identified and the police must take necessary action to restrict the speed of vehicles,” he added. Karur MP S Jothimani also had raised the issue during the recent parliamentary session, stressing the need to upgrade the Tiruchy-Karur national highway into a greenfield road, he further said.
When contacted, AN Praveen Kumar, project director of NHAI-Tiruchy, told TNIE that out of the stretch of 68 kilometres, the road runs with four lanes only for 46 km. The remaining 22 km is a two-lane road with paved shoulders. Further, a stretch can only be designated a black spot if it records more than 58 fatal accidents in a year. However, the particular stretch falls below that threshold, as confirmed by a road safety audit after a detailed inspection, he added.
"Nonetheless, a proposal for a greenfield road between Tiruchy and Karur is under consideration,” the NHAI official said. Ruling out the possibility of widening the existing highway by pointing to the railway track line running on one side and River Cauvery on the other, Kumar said the “lone feasible solution” is a greenfield road running parallel to a 10-kilometre, two-lane stretch of the NH between Thindukarai and Kulithalai, which has been identified accident-prone. “We hope it materialises soon," he added.