Coimbatore: In a bid to decongest traffic between Coimbatore city and Palakkad, Pollachi roads, the two-wheeler path along the Ukkadam periyakulam tank was thrown open by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa through video conference.
As two wheelers and the heavy four wheelers cram the Pollachi main road during peak hours, the commuters travelling from
Karumbukadai junction to Ukkadam bus stand are put to a lot of hardship because of the traffic snarls on the stretch.
The two-wheelers are forced to weave through a serpentine line-up four-wheelers and other heavy vehicles that enter into the Coimbatore city from the highway.
Hence, to ease traffic on Athupalam-Ukkadam road, the corporation laid the two-wheeler path. The corporation has installed solar lights along the stretch of the road that is 1.2 km long and 5.50 m width that was laid at a cost of Rs 4.95 crore. The two-wheelers proceeding to Ukkadam would be diverted through the bund road, thus easing traffic on Athupalam-Ukkadam road. A steel fencing has been erected around the bund. Paver blocks have been laid on the bund so that it could be used by walkers as well.
This pathway is expected to ease traffic along the road that links Coimbatore district to Kerala via Palakkad. “As there were no streetlights on the main road along the Athupalam junction it had resulted in several accidents. So, 204 streetlight poles have been erected and 408 LED lights of 120 watt each has been fixed at a cost of Rs 2.99 crore as allotted by the corporation”, an official said.
However, the decision to construct a two-wheeler lane along the Ukkadam Periyakulam tank was opposed by environmentalists. A petition was presented to the district collector stating that the lake bunds were not strong enough to sustain the weight of the vehicles and could be risky to the road users.
But the officials however maintained that the lane would decongest the traffic along the arterial roads which are usually choc-o-bloc during peak hours and holidays.
