SH Completes 4-Lane Expansion of Crawford Road in Trichy.

The state highways department has successfully completed the four-lane expansion of Crawford Road, a key route connecting densely populated areas to the Trichy-Madurai National Highway (NH), which is home to the city's upcoming integrated bus terminus (IBT). However, the project did not initially include the widening of the narrow high-level bridge across the Koraiyar River. The department has now submitted a Rs 2 crore proposal to widen the bridge and alleviate this bottleneck.

The expansion has been completed on 1.4 km of the 1.6 km stretch of Trichy Urban Road (SHU 132), which is part of the former NH 45. This road connects key areas such as Karumandapam, Cantonment, E Pudur, and Crawford with the Trichy-Madurai NH. The final 200 meters of the stretch remain under construction, pending the completion of an eviction drive to reclaim necessary land. “Most of the work is done, and traffic is already using the widened road. The remaining work, including the new bituminous layer, will be completed within a month,” a senior official stated.

The expanded road now features a median, creating two separate 8-meter wide carriageways that are expected to improve traffic flow significantly. Additionally, Trichy Corporation has allocated Rs 24.6 lakh for the installation of 120-watt LED lights on the median between Krishnapuram and Panjapur along the Trichy-Madurai NH.

Despite the widening of the road, the Koraiyar River bridge remains a two-lane constraint. To address this, the highways department has proposed replacing the bridge with a four-lane structure, which will require some land acquisition near Krishnapuram. This widening is seen as a priority, particularly as Crawford Road connects to the Trichy Semi-Ring Road, which links five national highways and facilitates access for city buses from the Panjapur IBT to residential areas.

The road widening project began in January 2024 with a budget of Rs 16 crore under the 2023-24 Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) scheme.

ET