‘NHAI to prepare land plan schedule for elevated rotary within a week’

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would prepare, within a week, the land plan schedule for building the proposed elevated rotary at the G-Corner Junction at Ponmalai in Tiruchi as it has now been assessed that about an acre of private land would be be required additionally for the project, Tiruchi Member of Parliament Durai Vaiko said on Friday.

The rotary would connect both sides of the Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai national highway from the existing service roads, along with an elevated road designed to segregate traffic flow, near G.Corner.

Although the project was planned entirely on railway land initially, it was later assessed that one acre of land would be required additionally. As per initial assessment, 32,415 square metres was required for the project. It was proposed to be built at an estimated cost of about ₹60 crore.

“They wanted to make some changes in the design of the structure subsequently and the revised design has been readied now. The land plan schedule will be prepared within a week after which it would be taken up with district administration for acquisition of the land,” Mr. Durai Vaiko told The Hindu after holding discussions with NHAI officials here on Friday.

The tender called for the construction of elevated rotary was withheld later. A fresh tender for the elevated rotary would be floated within a couple of weeks parallelly, said Mr. Durai Vaiko. He did not foresee much problem in acquiring the lands.

Following persistent demand from the public, the NHAI had proposed to build an elevated rotary at the intersection. The roundabout on an elevated structure would allow vehicles to cross over the highway from the service roads.

Ever since the widening of the highway into four lanes more than 15 years ago, residents of Golden Rock and beyond and employees of the Golden Rock Railway Workshop, have been demanding the construction of an underpass to provide direct access to the workshop.

With the widening of the road into a four-lane highway, the residents and employees had to take a detour via Ariyamangalam junction. The two-way service lane, which now serves as the access route for the Golden Rock area from the TVS Tollgate Junction, is narrow and accident-prone.