The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a Letter of Award for the construction of a 7 Km greenfield bypass at Gangaikonda Cholapuram on the Kallagam-Meensurutti section of National Highway-81 in Tamil Nadu.
The foundation stone for the project was laid by the Prime Minister on 11 March.
The project involves construction of a two-lane highway with paved shoulders and supporting infrastructure designed to divert through-traffic away from the historic temple town.
The bypass will include 3.47 Km of service and slip roads, 2 minor bridges, 2 Vehicular Underpasses (VUPs), 3 Light Vehicular Underpasses (LVUPs), and 8 box culverts.
At present, the existing NH-81 alignment passes very close to the Brihadeeswara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage monument that is more than 1,000 years old.
The movement of heavy vehicles near the temple precinct has raised safety concerns for pilgrims and also risks structural and environmental damage to the ancient stone inscriptions.
The new bypass is expected to divert a major share of highway traffic, especially heavy vehicles, away from the temple zone.
This will make pilgrim movement safer while also helping reduce vibration, pollution, and potential damage to the historic structure caused by constant highway traffic.
The project is also expected to improve regional connectivity by reducing travel time to major religious centres such as the Aranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam and the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram.
NHAI said the bypass will help to strengthen the local economy and provide seamless travel experience to the National Highway users in the region.
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