PM inaugurates elevated corridor in Madurai

The first elevated corridor for Madurai district, part of the four-lane highway connecting Madurai with Thuvarankurichi via Natham section of National Highway 785, was inaugurated by PM Modi via video conference from Chennai

The first elevated corridor for Madurai district, part of the four-lane highway connecting Madurai with Thuvarankurichi via Natham section of National Highway 785, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference from Chennai on Saturday.

The construction of the 7.3 km-long elevated corridor began in 2018 under Bharatmala Pariyojana Scheme. However, construction had to be halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adequate number of police personnel had been deployed at the Gokhale road even as large groups of people gathered along the road in order to witness the inauguration. Following the inauguration, vehicles made a beeline to take the newly opened elevated corridor which was illuminated in the evening. CCTV cameras and solar blinkers have been installed along the elevated corridor.

Earlier this week a trial run was conducted by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials and the Madurai City Traffic Police. The authorities wanted to ascertain the number of vehicles using the elevated corridor and those using the new Natham road below it.

The police have urged the vehicle users to follow the rules and maintain the speed limit on the elevated corridor. Vehicle users said the elevated corridor would benefit them. There would be no hassles of vehicles coming in between, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, via video conferencing, also laid the foundation stone for the four-lane of Tirumangalam-Vadagupatti and Vadagupatti to Therkuvenganallur sections of National Highway 744.