TN targets ₹4,521-cr road & highway projects

Tamil Nadu highways department has sanctioned ₹4,521 crore under the comprehensive road infrastructure development program for the current financial year and the clearance recorded a significant jump of 37% over the last year’s allocation. The state highways department, which maintains 59,405 km of roads under various categories, had evolved a mega program to meet infrastructure needs of the feeder roads that lead to national highways. Chief engineer (construction and maintenance) of state highways department has been given orders to take up early widening, strengthening and improvement of existing roads to maintain the service level, construction of culverts, minor and major bridges, and ensure that the works sanctioned are not included in any other scheme. The area beneath road over bridges in and around Chennai will also be beautified with lawns, sculptures and vertical gardens as a special case, highways secretary S K Prabakar said, adding that in the last five years, 21,357 km roads have been widened and strengthened and 2,263 culverts/bridges and other protective structures were completed under the scheme. This year, 1,344 km roads will be widened and 1,913 km roads will be upgraded and that the protective work like construction of retaining wall, centre median, storm water drains, and geometric improvements will also be taken up. A sum of ₹200 crore would be invested for road safety components, including girders, black spot improvement and to provide all the modern facilities to the travelling masses, he insisted.