Coimbatore: TN sends Centre plan to widen 27-km ‘killer’ stretch on Salem-Kochi Highway

The Tamil Nadu government has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to turn a 27-km two-lane stretch on the Salem-Kochi highway (NH 544) into a six-lane one. The narrow stretch of highway between Neelambur and Madukkarai in Tamil Nadu claimed 120 lives last year and 55 the year before.

This particular stretch, colloquially called “Coimbatore bypass”, is maintained by Larsen & Toubro (L&T), thanks to an agreement it got into with the MoRTH in 1999 that will remain valid till 2029. In return, it could collect toll fees for the said period. However, the multinational company has failed to turn the two-lane stretch into a four- or six-lane one as promised.

Hands tied

Because of the agreement, the MoRTH could not do anything about the “killer” stretch despite the rest of the 340-km highway being six lanes wide. This highway is critical because those driving to Chennai or Bengaluru from Kerala take it. They jostle for space alongside heavy trucks, which drive at a slower speed. Most accidents take place when motorists try to overtake the trucks on the stretch that has no median divider either, say police records.

Coimbatore SP V Badrinarayanan told The Times of India that L&T had been asked to install road stud reflectors along the stretch and motorists have been instructed to maintain speed limit at a medium. However, to minimize the risk of fatal accidents, the road has to be widened.

Land acquired

Last year, Tamil Nadu Highways Minister EV Velu had told the Assembly that since the existing road could not be touched due to the agreement, efforts were being made to have a four-lane stretch built adjacent to it. A detailed project report was on the cards, he had said in April 2023.

Now, the national highways wing of the Tamil Nadu Highways Department has acquired a 45-metre-wide stretch along the 27.2-km stretch of highway, K Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, told TOI. He told the newspaper that the only way to stop the spate of accidents is for the MoRTH to build the four-lane stretch alongside and allow L&T to keep the toll fee to honour the agreement.