COIMBATORE: The much-awaited rectification work on the Periyanaickenpalayam flyover continues to face significant delays, with the National Highways (NH) wing of the State Highways Department issuing a notice and imposing a penalty on the contractor for the slow pace of execution. Despite several months having passed since the work commenced, officials said less than 50% of the project has been completed.
The `7.42-crore project was launched to address a critical design flaw near the descending stretch of the flyover on the Coimbatore-Mettupalayam Road. The 1.85-km flyover, constructed at a cost of `115 crore between Ramakrishna Vidyalaya Junction and Vannankovil Junction, was opened to traffic in December 2023 without obtaining approval from the Road Safety Committee.
Soon after its inauguration, the structure drew criticism from motorists due to uneven road surfaces, waterlogging during rains, and, most importantly, a dangerously narrow stretch where vehicles exiting the flyover merge with service road traffic. The bottleneck, caused by the absence of adequate land acquisition before construction, posed a serious accident risk.
As a temporary measure, highway officials installed median barriers to reduce the carriageway width and regulate traffic movement at the merging point. However, concerns over the flyover's design were later escalated to the union government by Road Safety Committee member K Kathirmathiyon, citing deviations from Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines. A committee headed by IAS officer Bhaskar Pandian was subsequently constituted to examine the issue.
Based on the committee's recommendations, additional funds were sanctioned for land acquisition and the construction of a safer service road. Authorities acquired land from seven property owners after paying compensation and demolished portions of several buildings to facilitate the project.
Officials had earlier stated that the work would be completed within three months. However, nearly eight months later, the project remains incomplete. According to officials, the primary hurdle is the removal of a temple built on encroached highway land.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official from the NH wing of the State Highways Department said, "All the buildings, except the temple, have been demolished to make way for the service road. A few local residents continue to oppose the demolition despite a court order directing the removal of the encroachment."
The official added that repeated obstruction has prevented the department from carrying out its work. "We have planned to convene a peace committee meeting next week under the chairmanship of the collector. We hope an amicable solution will be reached so that the project can be completed at the earliest," the official said.
Meanwhile, thousands of motorists using the stretch every day continue to navigate the narrow junction with caution, awaiting a permanent solution to one of the district's most criticised flyover projects.
