Tiruchi MP Durai Vaiko has urged Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to take steps to build a vehicular underpass at the G. Corner intersection in the city on the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway.
Mr. Durai Vaiko called on Mr. Gadkari in New Delhi and presented a memorandum to the Union Minister in a follow-up to the recent joint inspection of the site conducted by him along with senior officials of the officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Southern Railway. The MP was accompanied by MDMK general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Vaiko during the meeting with the Minister.
In his representation, the MP urged the Minister to carry out a detailed feasibility study for the construction of a vehicular underpass at the G-Corner intersection and allocate necessary funds for the “crucial infrastructure.” He urged him to fast-track the approval process, given the urgency of the situation.
The G-Corner intersection was “strategically located” along the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway and was used by more than one lakh residents, he said.
The local residents had direct access to the area but the four laning of the highway had blocked this route. As a result, residents were forced to use a service road where two-way traffic was allowed.
The service road is used by motorists entering the city from the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway and those going to the Tiruchi International Airport and Tiruchi-Karaikudi National Highway.
The public had been demanding construction of a vehicular underpass at the intersection for more than 15 years, he said.
The existing traffic management system at the location was grossly inadequate, resulting in congestion and frequent accidents. A vehicular underpass at the location would significantly streamline the traffic flow and segregate local and highway traffic, Mr. Durai Vaiko said.
Mr. Durai Vaiko told The Hindu over phone that the Minister had responded positively and instructed the officials to take steps taking note that it was an accident-prone area.
