Neelambur bypass in Coimbatore expected to be taken over by NHAI soon

India's first BOT road, Neelambur-Madukkarai stretch in Coimbatore, to be handed over to NHAI soon for toll collection.

One of the earliest roads in the country to be developed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode is expected to be taken over by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) soon.

The 28-km stretch from Neelambur to Madukkarai in Coimbatore, which was developed as a two-lane road by L&T on a BOT basis for ₹104.4 crores, will soon be handed over to the NHAI, according to a senior official here.

The official said a notification of L&T handing over the road to the NHAI is expected next month, and the NHAI will take over toll collection from June 1, 2025.

The road is connected to six-lane highways on either side and is one of the busiest stretches, witnessing accidents almost on a daily basis. One of the main demands of Coimbatore’s industries is widening of this 28-km stretch. However, the concession period for the road that was inaugurated in 1999 is till 2029.

K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said the NHAI is expected to reduce the toll plazas to one from the existing six. The State Highways Department has prepared a detailed project report to widen this road and the NHAI is expected to take up the widening work eventually.

President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, Rajesh Lund, said it is good news for Coimbatore, provided the NHAI upgrades the road into a four or six-lane one immediately. Recently, the Chamber wrote to the L&T chairman too saying it was one of roads with high number of accidents and required widening works immediately, he said.