The Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) has urged the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, to intervene in expediting the long-delayed Coimbatore Eastern Bypass project.

Proposed to span eighty-one kilometres from Narasimhanaickenpalayam to Madukkarai via Kaniyur, the corridor will connect all six National Highways in Coimbatore—NH181, NH948, NH544 (Avinashi and Palakkad roads), NH81, and NH83—providing an alternative route for Kerala-bound vehicles and reducing congestion within the city.

Originally announced in twenty sixteen during the AIADMK government, the project was paired with the Coimbatore–Karur Expressway. A feasibility study was completed in twenty eighteen, estimating a budget of Rs 75 billion, but progress has stalled since.

In a recent appeal, CODISSIA President Karthikeyan emphasised the region’s growing traffic and the urgency of upgrading infrastructure in Western Tamil Nadu. He noted that the Chengapalli–Salem stretch on NH544 is overwhelmed by truck and bus movement, advocating for its conversion into a six-lane expressway without additional land acquisition.

CODISSIA has called for swift action to improve connectivity and support the industrial development of Tamil Nadu’s second-largest city.

Source:Covai Chronicle