Work on western ring road in Coimbatore gathers pace

Coimbatore: Work on the western ring road project seems to be on the right track. The State Highways Department has laid a bitumen road for 2.6 kilometres from Mayilkal to Madampatti and wet mix macadam for another 3.7 kilometres in the first phase of the project.
To cash in on the opportunity, real estate developers have started selling the plots along the western ring road, which has shot up the property prices.
In the first phase, road would be laid for 11.80 kilometres from Mayilkal near Kuniyamuthur to Madampatti through Madukkarai, Sundakkamuthur, Perur Chettipalayam and Theethipalayam. "We are planning two flyovers - one at Mayilkal on Coimbatore-Palakkad road and another near Madampatti on Coimbatore-Siruvani road - to facilitate uninterrupted movement of vehicles on the ring road," said an official with the State Highways Department.
He said the deadline fixed to complete the first phase of the project was August 2025. "Upon the completion, the stretch will be made accessible to motorists. The stretch will also help the motorists on Coimbatore-Palakkad road easily reach Madampatti."
According to the official, the four-lane road with a median would be equipped with street lights. The entire width of the road would be 22 metres, he said.
In the second phase, he said, road would be laid for 12.10 kilometres from Madampatti to Somayampalayam via Perur, West Chithiraichavadi, Kalikkanaickenpalayam and Vadavalli. "We have completed 70% of the land acquisition for the second phase of the project. Once the remaining land acquisition is over, work will commence on this stretch as well," the official said.
In the third and final phase of the project, road would be laid from Somayampalayam to Narasimmanaickenpalayam on Coimbatore-Mettupalayam road via Pannimadai, Nanjundapuram, Kurudampalayam and Gudalur, for a distance of 8.52 kilometres.
The entire length of the western ring road would be 32.42 kilometres. The project requires acquisition of 143 hectares (353.36 acres) land, comprising 119.97 hectares of private land and 23.03 hectares of govt land. The state govt has sanctioned 320 crore for land acquisition. The road construction work would cost the govt another 525 crore, which would be disbursed as per the requirements in each phase.
Real estate promoters are, meanwhile, trying to sell the plots on the stretch where the bitumen road has been laid. "They have increased the land price by 6 lakh to 10 lakh per cent. A few years ago, one cent was priced below 2 lakh. Many bakeries, hotels and new residential areas are likely to emerge along the western ring road, the objective of which is to reduce traffic in the city," another official told TOI.