The inordinate delay in completion of works on Tiruchi-Karaikudi highway has irked the motorists.
Work on the development of 107-km highway that includes laying of a bypass between Asoor on the Tiruchi-Thanjavur highway and Mathur on the Tiruchi-Pudukottai highway was started in 2010 at an estimate of Rs.375 crore.
As per the original plan, the laying of two-way road with paved shoulders on the new alignment should have been completed in 2013. Though the road laying work was off to a brisk start in the beginning, it got delayed due to litigation.
However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) resumed the works after getting interim injunction from the Madras High Court.
Though the NHAI had managed to complete about 75 per cent of the work, it could not complete laying of road for four km, two each near Kalamavur and Karaikudi due to a combination of factors. Construction of Road Overbridge at Kalamavur is among the major pending works.
Cost escalation and financial crunch of the contractor were said to be the main reasons for the delay in completion of works.
In spite of various issues, the NHAI had resumed the pending works about six months ago.
However, it is yet to gain momentum, causing resentment among the road-users and motorists.
Irked over the long delay, a few activists owing allegiance to Makkal Mandram in Pudukottai district have come up with posters, highlighting the “lacklustre” attitude of the agencies concerned in completing the works.
“It may not require more than 90 days in completing all pending works. But, it has been progressing at a snail pace since 2010,” said a driver.
While admitting delay in completion of works, a senior official of NHAI told The Hindu that all issues had been sorted out.
The road works had been resumed. The contractor was sensitised to the importance of completing all pending works as quickly as possible. Part of works, including construction of sub-structure and girders, was completed.
Similarly, service road was laid for enabling diversion of traffic so as to take up approach road works. It had been planned to complete all works within next three months.
