The Thuraiyur-Perambalur Road is getting a facelift with the stretch being taken up for upgradation under the Chennai Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor Project (CKICP).
The upgradation of the 30-km long stretch connecting Thuraiyur town with the Tiruchi-Chennai Highway is expected to give a boost to industrial development of the backward Thuraiyur region and also help provide an improved transportation link for industries in Ariyalur belt. The project has been taken up at a cost of about ₹143 crore under the CKICP funded by the Asian Development Bank.
According to sources, the road is being widened as a two-lane road with paved shoulders. Two by-passes are to be built at Nakkasalem and Kurumbalur.
The upgradation would also involve construction of 12 minor bridges and 55 box culverts. The road will be widened from the existing seven metres to 10 metres. The project, which began a couple of months back, is scheduled to be completed by February 2023.
“This is an important link road. A large number of travellers from Chennai to Karur/Erode take this road. This is the shortest route for people travelling from Karur to Chennai. Also a lot of heavy vehicles carrying goods from Ariyalur to Kerala and other States take the road,” said Saravanan Natesan, a road safety activist.
However, the existing narrow road had far too many speed breakers. Previously it had 76 speed breakers, making for a back breaking ride. After representations to the district authorities, 30 of them were removed. But it still takes a long time to cover this short distance, Mr. Saravanan said. “Once the road is upgraded, it will be a big relief for travellers, besides being a major infrastructure upgrade for local industries,” he added.
A short stretch of about 3.40 km of the road was already widened as a four-lane road in 2018 at a cost of ₹87 lakh under the Central Road Fund Project.
