The Tiruchi-Dindigul Highway would be widened into a four-lane road, with the State Highways Department's estimated cost of Rs 74.80 crore under the Chief Minister Road Development Programme (CMRDP). Minister for Municipal Administration K N Nehru, Highways Minister E V Velu and School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi inaugurated the project. Under the project, the road stretch would be widened from the Junction Road Overbridge near Ponnagar up to Thayanur. While the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been widening the Tiruchi-Dindigul National Highway (NH-45) to a four-lane road. The road stretch was given to the State Highways Department for maintenance. The widened road would have a width of 18 m, including a four-m wide centre median. It would entail the widening of nine minor bridges, reconstruction of seven smaller bridges and construction of four new bridges. Velu said that it was one of the 32 projects taken up under the CMRDP in the state this year. Under CMRDP, single-lane roads would be widened to two lanes and two-lane into four lanes. Velu told the media that the Highways Department would build a half-ring road on the north of Tiruchi between Asoor on the Tiruchi-Thanjavur Highway and Panchapur on the Tiruchi-Madurai Highway. He added that the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the second bypass around Thuraiyur in the district were ready, and the project was waiting for sanction from the government. DPRs were also being prepared for new bypass rounds around Musiri, Manachanallur and Manapparai. A road overbridge (ROB) would be constructed across the railway track at Devadhanam at around Rs 28.76 crore. ROBs will be built at Manakkal and Manjathidal, along with the preparation of DPRs. Some high-level bridges will be built across several rivers at Unniyur, Peramangalam, Thuraiyur and Karuppampatti. A few new bridges would be constructed at Killikoodu and Edamamalaipattipudur. Velu said that the department had invited bids for strengthening the Musiri-Tiruchi section of the Namakkal-Tiruchi National Highway after the state government took up the poor condition of the stretch with the central government. The work to be executed in two stages would begin soon. Image Source Also read: NHAI to build 5,795 km National Highways in Aspirational Districts