Northern semi-ring road hits land hurdles in Trichy

Trichy: While the Trichy semi-ring road proposed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to interlink three National Highways passing through the southern parts of the city remains delayed, keeping traffic bottlenecks alive, the northern semi-ring road proposed by the State Highways department appears headed down a similar path.Four years after the northern semi-ring road was proposed, and despite a preliminary study conducted in 2024, the Land Plan Schedule (LPS)—which specifies land parcels required for the project—has not been completed in three of the four taluks through which the bypass road passes. The northern semi-ring road is planned to connect Thuvakudi on the Trichy–Thanjavur National Highway with Poovalur on the Trichy–Chidambaram National Highway via Kilikoodu near the Grand Anicut. The alignment also proposes links to Samayapuram on the Trichy–Chennai NH, Manachanallur on the Trichy–Thuraiyur State Highway, and Mutharasanallur on the Trichy–Karur NH through the Trichy–Namakkal State Highway. The bypass road is expected to enable vehicles travelling to other districts via Trichy to avoid congested core city areas, where traffic snarls have been worsening. Though the project was mooted in 2021 and ₹3.5 crore was sanctioned for the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR), progress stalled for a prolonged period. The proposed two-lane bypass is expected to span about 35 km. Reliable sources said the LPS, a crucial document for assessing land acquisition requirements, has been completed only in Lalgudi taluk. The process is still under way in Manachanallur, Srirangam and Thiruverumbur taluks. "The bypass road, if materialised, will decongest Palpannai junction to an extent. Vehicles commuting between Chennai and Thanjavur, and other delta districts, can skip the city by using the northern link road," said P Premkumar, member of Trichy Intra-City Development Endeavours (TIDES). As part of the project, two new railway road overbridges are planned near Manakkal in Lalgudi and Solagampatti in Thuvakudi, along with four new high-level bridges—two each across the Cauvery and the Kollidam rivers. An official source said the LPS documentation work has been expedited and that efforts are on to complete the DPR for the new ring road before the upcoming State Assembly elections. Highways interlinked by new semi-ring road Trichy–Thanjavur NH Trichy–Chidambaram NH Trichy–Chennai NH Trichy–Thuraiyur SH Trichy–Namakkal SH Trichy–Karur NH Spots to be linked by the new semi-ring road: Asoor, Kilikoodu, Poovalur, Samayapuram, Manachanallur, Mutharasanallur Proposed infrastructure: Length of semi-ring road: 35 km Initial width: 2 lanes RoBs and bridges: 4 MSID:: 126354460 413 |