On February 24 2014, Reliance Infrastructure Limited (RInfra) announced the completion of the Trichy-Karur road in Tamil Nadu, undertaken through its Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) TK Toll Road Pvt Ltd. This is RInfra’s tenth road project, which has achieved full commercialization. It is built at a cost of Rs. 732 crore. The two-four laning of 63 kms of Trichy-Karur (TK) road has been completed and the toll collection has started. The project connects the high density urban corridor between Trichy and Karur. The project has been executed on Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis under the aegis of National Highways Authority of India. RInfra has been awarded the contract to operate and maintain the road for a concession period of 30 years.
Commenting on this development, Mr. Sudhir R Hoshing, CEO (Roads), Reliance Infrastructure, said, “We are happy to announce completion of the project. The road will not just provide a hassle-free, safe and smooth driving experience for regular traffic, but also connect to industrial units and Trichy and Coimbatore international airports. The
corridor will witness approximately 15,000 vehicles per day that is expected to double in the next four years”.
He further added, “With the opening of TK corridor, now we have all of our six road projects worth Rs. 4,000 crore in Tamil Nadu operational.”
The scope of work on the project involved realignment and widening of the stretch with new bypasses. The average speed of vehicle will now double to approx 70 km/hr, thereby reducing the travel time by up to 30% and saving fuel cost by almost 30%. Keeping the traffic density in mind, ten and six lane toll plazas have been constructed on the TK road. Automated Toll System’s have been installed at each toll plaza to further reduce the stoppage time. Commuters residing within 20 Kms radius of these respective toll plazas can also avail the benefit of monthly discount passes. For commuter safety, the toll plazas have been equipped with an Emergency Control Room to provide medical assistance in case of accidents within minimum response time. 24×7 Ambulances would be available to handle any emergency situation.
Other facilities like 24X7 patrolling, 6 passenger bus shelters with various facilities like drinking water kiosks, truck lay byes have also been put in place. The road will also have a maintenance base camp and an environmental van to monitor air and noise parameters in the entire stretch. RInfra already operates five road projects in Tamil Nadu – Nammakal to Karur; Dindigul to Samayanallur; Trichy to Dindigul; Salem to Ulundurpet and Hosur to Krishnagiri.
