(File photo) The proposed six-lane greenfield highway connecting Trichy and Karur faces significant delays, despite the existing accident-prone Trichy-Karur highway recording 12 fatalities between January and March 2025
TRICHY: A proposed six-lane
greenfield national highway
to connect Trichy and Karur districts, aimed at easing travel between central and western Tamil Nadu, remains on the back burner, with National Highways Authority of India (
NHAI
) yet to prioritise the project.
Project hits dead end-for now
The existing 71-km
Trichy-Karur highway
is narrow and accident-prone, with only 46 km of it having two lanes.
From Jan to March 2025 alone, the stretch recorded 12 fatalities. Officials say the road cannot be widened due to geographical constraints - it runs between railway lines, residential areas, and the Cauvery riverbank, making expansion or construction of underpasses technically unviable.
Proposed in 2019, the new greenfield highway, 70.1 km long and located about 10 km south of the current route, was intended to bypass bottlenecks and improve safety.
It would intersect key state highways, including SH 71 (Thogamalai-Kulithalai) and SH 74 (Eriodu-Karur).
However, the project is still stuck at the detailed project report (DPR) stage.
"The Karur-Coimbatore highway has been prioritised, but the Karur-Trichy stretch, despite frequent fatal accidents, remains ignored," said P Aiyarappan, member of the Trichy District Road Safety Council.
"The greenfield highway is critical and long overdue."
Karur MP S Jothimani, who recently raised the issue in Parliament, also criticised the delay.
"This road link is essential for the region. NHAI has been responsive on other projects, but this one remains elusive," she told TOI.
NHAI sources admitted the project has not been prioritised, citing land acquisition hurdles, including tracts of fertile farmland.
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