Tired Travel At Avanashi Road

Work in progress to widen Avanashi Road.For any one visiting an office, an eatery or any commercial establishment on Avanashi Road, the primary concern now is the parking space for vehicle. For many more who use the road regularly, even the 16 km drive from Neelambur bypass to the city can be a tiring one. In some areas the road is getting re-laid and in some places it is getting expanded. So, caution is the catch word for the road users.

Just broadening the road without any other facility is of no use.

The State Highways Department started the Rs. 27-crore project in November last year and plans to complete it in three phases. When the works are over, the complete width of the six-lane road will be 23.2 metres with 1.2 metre median space. “Works are planned in such a way that it does not cause inconvenience to the commuters. In some places, the black-topping is going on. In some places, the widening works have started. This is to ensure there is no traffic problem on the road,” says an official of the department.

Though cost of construction materials have been going up frequently now, the official sees no escalation of the project cost. Works are going on as per schedule and a quality control wing has been formed to monitor, he adds. Additional facilities such as drainage or pedestrian path will be planned for the second phase. Some of the road users are of the opinion that works seem to have slowed down now. They also ask why there is no concrete plan for a pedestrian path or for bus shelters.

“Just broadening the road without any other facility is of no use,” says Krishna Samaraj, former chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore Zone. “What is unfortunate is that no thought has been given to cyclists, pedestrians or public transport system,” he says. According to K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, minimum facilities should be planned and provided for in the initiate stage itself. If parking space is not planned, the expansion will not benefit the road users.

The work can be planned in a better way to reduce inconvenience to the public. Now, driving becomes almost impossible in some places. Further, provision should be given for drainage system and for alternate lighting to save energy. The road cannot be dug frequently to lay pipes and wires. Adequate provision should be given now, he adds.

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