A ₹121.6-crore road safety package is set to reshape three high-risk junctions on the Tiruchy–Chennai National Highway, where local traffic must currently negotiate a fast-moving regional corridor. The proposed vehicular underpasses at Sanjeevi Nagar, Kollidam Y Road and Maruti Nagar are intended to separate through traffic from local movements and reduce conflict points inside and around the city.
The National Highways Authority of India has invited bids for the three structures. The tender process is expected to move forward in September, with construction scheduled for completion within 18 months of awarding the contract. The intervention follows years of concern over crashes at junctions where residents, two-wheelers and other local road users cross or merge with highway traffic.The need is particularly clear at Sanjeevi Nagar and Kollidam Y Road. Earlier assessments identified these locations among the city’s major accident hotspots, with at least 46 deaths recorded at three key junctions on the Tiruchy–Chennai highway since 2021, including G Corner. Maruti Nagar has also been identified as a significant accident-prone location in the wider district.
For residents, however, the issue extends beyond vehicle movement. Sanjeevi Nagar sits close to residential areas and important city destinations, while the highway also functions as an intra-city connector between neighbourhoods and transport hubs. Previous disruptions near the Cauvery bridge showed how quickly a problem on this corridor can create long diversions, congestion and public frustration.The proposed underpasses therefore represent more than another highway-capacity project. Their success will depend on whether service roads, junction approaches, drainage, lighting and pedestrian movement are designed as one system. Urban planners have increasingly stressed that grade separation should not simply move conflicts to the next junction or make local crossings harder. There is also an economic dimension. Reliable movement through Tiruchy supports daily commuting, freight activity and access to commercial areas. Reducing delays and crashes can lower travel-time losses while making the highway more predictable for businesses and households.
The projects also need to account for construction impacts. A long-duration highway intervention can create temporary bottlenecks, particularly where local roads have limited alternatives. Maintaining safe pedestrian access, public transport continuity and emergency movement during construction will therefore be as important as completing the structures. The wider programme is expected to include a separate intervention at G Corner, where an elevated rotary has previously been proposed. Earlier plans put the broader four-location package at ₹204.7 crore. The immediate test is now implementation. For Tiruchy, these Trichy underpasses will deliver lasting value only if they improve safety without creating new barriers for neighbourhoods, pedestrians and local traffic.
