Chengapalli-Neelambur road works to be over soon.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is hopeful of the private contractor completing road widening works on Chengapalli-Neelambur stretch by July.

The private contractor has mobilised the required funds and works started gaining momentum from March 15. Bitumen-topping for the six-lane road has been completed from Chengapalli to Avanashi and works are on from Avanashi to Neelambur now. The pending works include lighting, safety measures, buy bays, and the flyover at Neelambur.

These are likely to be completed in a couple of months so that toll collection can start from July.

Works have also commenced on the Madukkarai-Walayar stretch, where the road will be widened into a two-lane one with service roads.

The focus is on completing the KG Chavadi bypass road and service roads so that there are no traffic congestions when the widening of the main road is taken up. Related works such as constructing retaining walls and crash barriers have also started on this road.

The total fund requirement for the pending works was Rs. 260 crore. The contractor had received the required gap funding, sources related to the project said.

The project for widening of road for 54 km in two segments - Chengapalli-Neelambur (six-lane) and Madukkarai-Walayar (four-lane) - was taken up in 2010 at a cost of Rs. 850 crore on build-operate-transfer mode. It was delayed for the last two years mainly because of financial problems faced by the contractor.


THE HINDU