The State Highways Department overseeing the expanded Kancheepuram-
Arakkonam-Tiruttani Road (SH 58) has embarked on an initiative to enhance the green cover along this vital thoroughfare. The widening of this key road,
which serves as part of the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industries Corridor project,
will now be complemented by the plantation of diverse saplings.
Various indigenous tree species such as vaagai, vembu, mantharai, punnai,
kalyana murungai, and arasa maram are among the select species to be planted
along the 41-kilometer-wide stretch. Additionally, an array of fruit-bearing trees
like guava, rosewood, izhupai, neem, tamarind, rain tree, pipal, jamun, mango,
and gooseberry will grace the roadside.
This greening project comes in response to the removal of more than 1,200
trees, primarily tamarind and neem, during the widening work on the road over
the past few years. In their place, an impressive 10,220 saplings are set to
replace the felled trees.
The maintenance of these saplings will remain the responsibility of the private
contractor until they reach a height of five feet, after which they will be handed
over to the state highways for regular upkeep.
This ambitious initiative, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has
undertaken extensive widening work along the 41.77 km stretch, transforming it
into a 10-meter-wide two-lane road. The upgrade includes stormwater drains, a
footpath, 18 small bridges, and 124 culverts, with construction ongoing since
mid-2021.
