
The long-awaited western bypass project in Coimbatore may soon see renewed activity as the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority considers a takeover from the highways department.
The ₹570-crore project has supposedly been on the drawing board for several years now to ease traffic congestion in one of the quickest-growing cities in the state. The bypass is 32 kilometers long and is to be designed in three phases.
The first phase, the 11.8-kilometer four-lane road from Madukkarai to Madhampatti, is nearly complete. The project has cost ₹250 crore and is expected to be opened for public use in two months.
For the remaining 21 kilometers, the government has earmarked ₹320 crore for land acquisition. However, construction is still slow, and questions have arisen as to whether the project shall be tolled.
Strong opposition has come in from local consumer groups against any toll-based model. They argue that the bypass, once completed, will be a critical urban connector rather than a premium highway, and the imposition of tolls could trigger public outcry. Some have also cautioned that imposing tolls could lead to legal challenges, which may further delay the project.
The decision on whether the TNSHA will formally take over is supposed to be decided soon. This could make the implementation straightforward and, indeed, speedier for completion of the bypass-very much needed to relieve congestion of Coimbatore arterial roads and provide better connectivity to the industrial and residential areas situated on the western side of the city.
Once the bypass is completed, it will help redirect heavy vehicles out of the city core and thus help ease traffic congestion and travel time. With Coimbatore emerging as an important industrial and IT hub for western Tamil Nadu, urban planners have emphasized that the time for completing this project should be maintained.
This, when achieved, is expected to divert the heavy vehicles from the city core and provide a brief relief to the traffic congestion and travel time. Given the emergence of Coimbatore as a significant industrial and IT hub in western Tamil Nadu, urban planners have stressed that the project should be completed on time.
For now, all eyes will be on the next moves from the State government-whether it transfers the project to the Highways Authority and whether it appears to commit to keeping the bypass toll-free, as a decision on which will ultimately determine how soon the city receives help from its traffic bottlenecks.
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