COIMBATORE: After nearly five months of delay, the expansion work on the Madukkarai Marappalam railway underpass on the Coimbatore-Palakkad main road has kicked off. Palakkad railway division of Southern Railway has started its work, and simultaneously, the state highways department has speeded up the process to obtain financial sanctions for the underpass road work and land acquisition work.
According to officials, the railways initiated its work from October 27 and have fixed a time frame of one year to complete the expansion of the carriageway for railway traffic.
Initially, the excavation works are to be completed, after which precast reinforced cement concrete (RCC) boxes would be placed under the tracks to widen the railway underpass. The work to construct the precast RCC boxes would be carried out near Marappalam, and ten boxes would be fixed under the tracks. Trains will not be diverted; instead, they would be rescheduled according to the work, sources added.
Meanwhile, the state highways department is planning to start the road work simultaneously, even though the approval process is being delayed by the state government. The highways department sent a proposal to obtain Administrative Sanction (AS) for fund allocation of Rs 102.69 crore, including for the road expansion and land acquisition.
This has been forwarded for approval from the Commissionerate of Land Administration (CLA). The land acquisition alone requires around Rs 17 crore, as the department needs to acquire 4,700 square metres of land on both sides of the bridge. However, the approval for the fund allocation is being delayed for around two months. If the approval is issued, the road expansion will start simultaneously, said sources from the highways department.
This delay has affected traffic on the Coimbatore-Palakkad road, a major link between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Vehicles passing on this stretch are forced to take a detour for around five km.
The existing two-lane underpass is to be expanded as part of the four-laning of the Palakkad road. The underpass will be constructed with large retaining walls on both sides in a rectangular shape, with the top covered by railway tracks. The railway portion will extend approximately 82 metres, and the highways department will develop about 750 metres on both sides, according to officials.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, AIADMK Kinathukkadavu MLA S Damodaran, along with his supporters, petitioned District Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar, requesting to speed up the Marappalam railway underpass expansion work.
