A Limited Use Subway (LUS) will be constructed within a year at a cost of ₹20 crore at Level Crossing 10 (LS-10) on Mecheri Road in Omalur, thus ending the need to halt traffic on the road for train movements. Omalur residents and commuters had been demanding such a facility for a long time.

LS-10 on Mecheri Road closes several times a day for the passing of trains. As the area has a number of educational institutions and factories, this often caused delays for students and workes using the road.

Devotees going to Mecheri Badrakaliamman Temple, too, had been demanding a railway over bridge (ROB) at the level crossing for years. Moreover, a 1-km stretch of this road covering LS-10 was avoided during the widening the Omalur-Mecheri State Highway.

According to Highway Department officials, the construction will begin on August 8. The Railways will construct box structures made of reinforced cement concrete on both sides of the road (as heavy vehicles use this road), after which the Highway Department will provide an approach road to the LUS. These works will be completed within 12 months.

The officials attributed the high cost estimate for the LUS to the requirement of the box structures.

In the second phase of the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project, the remaining 1-km stretch of the road will be widened, the officials added.

Traffic diversions

Once the works begin on August 8, traffic on this stretch will be diverted. Vehicles heading from Omalur to Mecheri should go via Amman Kovilpatti, Amarakunthi, and M. Chettipatti-Palikkadai Road and enter State Highway 222 to reach Mecheri.

Likewise, vehicles heading to Omalur from Mecheri should go via M. Chettipatti-Palikkadai Road and Chinna Tirupathi-Jodukuzhi Road and enter National Highway 44 to reach Omalur.

Published - August 03, 2026 07:04 pm IST