COIMBATORE: The State Highways Department's National Highways wing served a notice to the contractor for delaying the long-pending Sanganoor Junction improvement and road widening project, despite the department's completion of major encroachment removal works and handover of the site.
The delay has come at a time when attention shifted towards improving traffic flow on Mettupalayam Road following the opening of the Saibaba Colony flyover. The Sanganoor stretch is considered another key bottleneck on the busy corridor, particularly for vehicles travelling towards Mettupalayam and the Nilgiris.
As part of the first phase of the project, officials had removed major encroachments along the stretch between the Kavundampalayam flyover and the Sanganoor Bridge a few months ago. The cleared land was subsequently handed over to the contractor to commence the widening works. However, construction is yet to begin.
The project, estimated at around `18 crore, was approved by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). It envisages widening the existing four-lane road into a six-lane carriageway and replacing the ageing Sanganoor Bridge with a substantially wider structure.
The existing bridge, which is more than six decades old, is proposed to be demolished and replaced with a new bridge nearly 100 metres wide. The widened road and redesigned junction are expected to improve traffic flow and reduce recurring bottlenecks in the area.
The original proposal included a roundabout at Sanganoor Junction to regulate traffic. However, highway officials later decided to drop the roundabout plan and provide dedicated U-turn facilities along the widened stretch instead.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official from the highways department said that the contractor had earlier submitted three designs for the proposed works, but all three were rejected as they did not meet the department's technical requirements. The contractor is currently preparing a revised design based on suggestions from the Highways Department.
"We had cleared all the major encroachments and handed over the land to the contractor several months ago. However, no work has started so far. The contractor had earlier submitted three designs, but they did not meet the Highway Department's standards and were rejected.
A fresh design is now being prepared as per our suggestions," said the official. The official added that work is expected to commence soon after the revised design is approved.
Residents and motorists, meanwhile, urged the department to ensure that the project does not face further delays, pointing out that the Sanganoor junction continues to experience heavy traffic during peak hours.
