TRICHY: Trichy corporation and the district administration have proposed a grade separator to interlink the upcoming integrated bus terminus (IBT) at Panjapur with the various national highways passing through the city for ensuring smooth movement of buses on the highway.
Modelled on the Koyambedu grade separator near Chennai mofussil bus terminus (CMBT), it is estimated to cost about Rs 380 crore and is likely to be implemented through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Official sources said the grade separator may take off near Green Park junction connecting E Pudur and interlink Trichy semi-ring road on Thayanur (Dindigul NH) at one end with Mathur (Pudukottai NH) at the other. Considering the traffic handled by Trichy-Madurai NH which serves as a gateway for south Tamil Nadu to reach Chennai via Trichy city, a three-lane or four-lane grade separator may be proposed. The project will not require land acquisition since Trichy corporation has over 500 acres of land bank in Panjapur.
As the site proposed for the bus terminus is along the Trichy-Madurai NH with the semi-ring road linking five NHs intersecting the site, the plan to establish a grade separator in front of IBT was aimed at ensuring public safety. The proposal has been put forward to Trichy project implementation unit (PIU) of NHAI and sent to NHAI headquarters in New Delhi. Officials said NHAI is reviewing the proposal to make a decision. “The grade separator with entry and exit lanes for the proposed integrated bus terminus is a viable demand. A detailed project report will reveal other features such as lanes and length based on the projected vehicular traffic,” a senior NHAI official told TOI on condition of anonymity.
Officials said that a consultant shall be appointed soon to study the project’s feasibility. The IBT master plan released by Trichy corporation has also earmarked area for a grade separator to interlink Trichy-Madurai NH, Mathur-Thayanur semi-ring road and the elevated entry/exit lanes of the Trichy IBT.
