Whenever a train passes in or out of Manapparai station, scores of vehicles pile up on both sides of the railway crossing across the Dindigul Road in Tamil Nadu. Train crossings take place on this arterial road over 25 times a day, mostly at night. With the Tiruchi Road remaining closed, all vehicles have to take the Dindigul Road to enter or leave Manapparai.
An overpass waiting for inauguration and another with ‘work in progress’ signboard has led to the present situation. Manapparai has only three main roads that connect major destinations — Tiruchi Road, Dindigul Road, and Thuvarankurichi Road, which leads to Madurai and the southern hinterland.
Two bridges over the railway line and a subway were planned to ease traffic congestion in the town that is notorious for narrow roads. But the delay in opening at least one of the bridges has made traffic snarls a routine affair. Buses bound for Dindigul, Theni, and Periakulam do not enter the town at night and offload passengers on the four-lane highway.
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