The National Highways Authority of India has set July 2022 as the target for completing the Madurai-Natham fourway road project, including the elevated corridor for 7.3 km from Chokkikulam to Oomachikulam on New Natham Road.
The work that started in November 2018 and was scheduled to be completed in November 2020 got delayed due to COVID-19 lockdown and the consequent lack of workforce, mostly guest workers from North Indian States, who returned home due to fear of pandemic.
“The work that stopped during the first lockdown never gained momentum as the strength of the workforce came down drastically. The workers from Bihar and Chhattisgarh preferred to work in their nearby States rather than coming all the way down to Madurai,” an official said.
75% work completed: NHAI sources said that 75% of the elevated corridor work and 75% of the four-laning work between Oomachikulam and Natham has been completed.
Out of the 187 spans planned for the elevated corridor, the work of only five spans remained to be completed. “This is mostly in the city side – near Periyar statue junction and Gokhale Road,” the official added.
The dense bitumen macadam (bottom layer of road) has been laid for over 6 km under the elevated corridor. “We need to complete the side drains and then complete the DBM work for nearly 1 km. Other works pending are paving of the bituminous concrete (top layer) over the concrete slab on the elevated corridor,” he added.
Madurai City police have facilitated diversion of road traffic at Periyar statue junction to help NHAI take up the ramp connecting Alagarkoil Road and Dr. Ambedkar Road (Corporation office road).
Though the diversion was simultaneously planned at Gokhale Road to take up the ramp work behind Madurai Kamaraj University College, choking up of traffic forced the police to abandon the idea.
“We will complete the work at Periyar statue junction in little over one month and then take up the work on the other side (Gokhale Road),” he said.
Meanwhile, the NHAI officials have instructed the contractor to complete the drain work between Armed Reserve grounds and P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan statue junction ahead of Chithirai festival.
Since thousands of devotees would gather on this road to perform ‘ethir sevai’ to Lord Kallazhagar, the officials want to make the road and drains smooth to avoid any untoward incident.
The laying of finer course of bitumen (top layer) of the road under the elevated corridor would be laid in July as the officials want undulation on the road dug up to erect piers to get set.
