The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Road overbridge to be opened on Sunday

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Thursday, Jan 08, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Road overbridge to be opened on Sunday

Staff Reporter

Executed at a revised estimate of Rs. 27.79 crore in Lalapet

Signs of development: A view of the new road over bridge at Lalapet in Karur district.

KARUR: The long pending demand of the public travelling on the Karur-Tiruchi section of the NH 67 _ a road overbridge at Lalapet near Kulithalai in lieu of the existing railway level crossing _ is all set to become a reality when Union Minister for Highways and Shipping T.R. Baalu declares it open on January 11. The construction has been completed and finishing touches are being given.

The ROB would be 2,204 metres long including 631 metres of elevated carriage way. The project is being executed at a revised estimate of Rs. 27.79 crore, up from the original Rs. 15 crore.

The foundation stone was laid in October 1998 but the project did not take off till February 2006. The project would now be completed in January, at least 18 months behind the revised completion schedule.

The Tiruchi-Karur section of NH 67 is a busy stretch and the traffic intensity is estimated to be 18,000 passenger car units per day. The level crossing has to be closed to make way for about 20 trains in 24 hours.

When there are multiple crossings of trains, the railway gate remains shut for a couple of hours, adding to the agony of the commuters.

Land acquisition took a lot of time. The project had to suffer several schedule overruns and delays.

National Highways Authority of India apportioned Rs. 25 lakh for relocating the Vinayaka, Shiva and Kamakshi temples that had to be dismantled for the ROB. .

One important aspect of the RoB project is that the level crossing would not be closed and would remain in operation to enable Lalapet public to access their village easily. Buses would have the option of touching Lalapet village for taking or offloading passengers.

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